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The Son Soaks in the Blood of His Own Tears

      In the second part of Meditative Lesson 6, we continue with the scene in the Garden of Olives where Jesus willingly, but painfully accepts the Cup of Suffering. His blood-soaked tears are for those who would betray Him, not just Judas, but all those until the end of time who turn their back on Him in favor of the world, the flesh and the devil. The human nature of Christ seeks comfort and only the angels can provide this for His apostles could not stay awake and pray for even an hour. These meditative lessons, were imparted by Our Lady to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart during Lent of 1993 and are meant to inspire and prompt a greater understanding of the season of Lent in helping us all prepare for His Passion and Death, and ultimately the glorious Resurrection. These lessons help us realize that through our faithfulness to God, Jesus saw us too and that gave Him the strength to continue on the path of His Passion. For part two of IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE, click on "IT IS CONSUMMATED!"

IN THE GARDEN AT GETHSEMANE

part two

      Jesus suddenly presses His face upon His arms which He has folded upon the rock and I realize that there is now more light, for I can see how the rock and the ground around Jesus are spattered with Blood.

      I look up to see the Comforting Angel who is close to Jesus, and who guides Jesus’ lips to a cup which the angel has brought from Heaven. Jesus drinks and His parched lips give thanks to His Father Who, at this moment, strengthens His Son.

      I, too, behold this heavenly being who has come as comfort and I wonder what heavenly drink has been given to Jesus. Now, the angel has departed, but Jesus is still kneeling, His hands folded in prayer. His eyes are clearer and He gazes intently to a point just beyond and slightly above the rock.

      Once more I gaze in the same direction. And I understand more clearly that the cup contained a countless multitude of souls who would forever share eternal joy because of His sacrifice.

      Unlike satan’s nightmare of souls like dying embers, this is truly a glorious vision which Jesus is given. Before His loving gaze passes every soul that, having accepted Him and followed Him, has been purified by its sufferings and enjoys the Beatific Vision. These souls are not faceless, as were those which I saw as dying embers. These souls are reunited to the body, and, thus passes a veritable parade of every saint who shall be with God forever.

      Jesus’ lips move. I can hear no words but I understand He is calling each one by name. And from this glorious vision comes a continual cry of joy and praise: "Glory to God in the Highest! Glory to the Son Who has wrought our salvation! Glory to the Spirit, the Love so pure. Endless praise to God, One in Three!

      Jesus’ face is serene, composed. The vision fades, but it is sufficient. Jesus rises from His knees. He does not rise easily, but painfully. It is evident that this silent, secret agony has already done much physical damage to His Sacred Body. He leans upon the rock till his legs are steady. He looks down the hill and sadness deepens the circles around His eyes. With some difficulty He reaches for His mantle which lies upon the ground, and He wipes the excesses of blood from His face, hands and arms. He then carefully folds the mantle and leaves it upon the rock, to be watched over by the lone olive tree.

      Then, testing His footsteps, He leaves His place of silent agony and makes His way down a twisting path. I follow behind until Jesus has come to a small clearing. He looks so sadly upon Peter, James and John who have not kept watch with Him, but have succumbed to sleep—a sleep of such depth that I am given to understand it was imposed upon their weak flesh by the evil one himself.

      Jesus calls out their names. His voice is weaker than I have ever heard It. But He calls again, more loudly and He penetrates the sleep. The three apostles scramble to their feet, tying mantles about their shoulders, trying to find words to ask forgiveness for their laxity. They do not notice Jesus’ blood-stained garments, for the moon has gone behind the hill and their own small fire is but a tiny burning ember.

      Jesus looks at the embers of their fire and sees again in them all the souls who will reject His sacrifice.

      "Come. It is time. Let us go!"

      It is an order, but not unkind. Jesus is fully in control of all His humanity and He now goes forward, heart already bursting with infinite love to fulfill the Divine Will. Somewhat dumbfounded, the three apostles trail behind.

NEXT INSTALLMENT: Part Three of Lesson 6: Our Lady's meditation on IN THE GARDEN AT GETHSEMANE

HEADLINES:

Jubilee 2000 could be highlighted with Mother Teresa's beatification

      Speculation has arisen that the Holy Father could personally beatify Mother Teresa in Calcutta during the great Jubilee Year 2000 celebrations with the announcement of that possibility by the investigating ordinary of Calcutta Archbishop Henry D'Souza. Her successor Sister Nirmala expressed great joy at this possibility when interviewed by Vatican Radio. For more, click on Blessed Mother Teresa for the Jubilee.

      CALCUTTA (CWNews.com) - Archbishop Henry D'Souza of Calcutta indicated this week that Mother Teresa could be beatified as early as next year and her successor as the head of the Missionaries of Charity religious order said she was delighted at the idea that Pope John Paul II himself might preside over the ceremony.

      Sister Nirmala told Vatican Radio that a papal visit to Calcutta next year for the beatification of Mother Teresa "would be wonderful." The Vatican confirmed on March 1 that the Holy Father had authorized a waiver of the usual five-year waiting period before a cause for canonization could begin in the case of Mother Teresa who died in 1997.

      In another interview with Vatican Radio, Archbishop Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints, said several factors affected the Pontiff's decision to begin the process including "an avalanche of requests" and "the vast and solid reputation of saintliness already universally enjoyed by Mother Teresa of Calcutta."

15,000 gather in St. Peter's Square for Pope's Wednesday Papal Audience

      To accommodate the overflow crowd of 15,000, the Vatican moved Pope John Paul II's regular Wednesday Papal Audience from Paul VI Hall to St. Peter's Square where they heard the Holy Father speak of the Holy Spirit as vital in the Trinitarian union of the Father and the Son, emphasizing the passage of John in which God is defined as "Love." For more, click on Wednesday audience

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- At his regular weekly public audience on Wednesday, March 10, Pope John Paul II reflected on the union between Jesus and his Father.

      Speaking to a group of 15,000 pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father said that the mystery of the union among the three persons of the Holy Trinity is expressed in the teaching of St. John, that "God is love." That phrase, he said, captures the intimacy of the union which binds the Father to the Son.

      The Pope's catechetical address was delivered at his 6th general audience of 1999, and the second that was held in St. Peter's Square. The Pope arrived there in the Popemobile, and moved through the crowd offering his greetings before his address.

Turnabout's fair play for Turner according to Catholic group, seek year ban from baseball for his slurs

      "What's good for the goose is good for the gander." That's the opinion of a Catholic group out of New York who figure if Cincinnati Red's owner Marge Schott was banned for baseball for racial slurs against African-Americans, then Ted Turner, owner of the Atlanta Braves should also be banned for at least a year for his racial slurs against the Poles and the Pope, and his religious slurs against Catholics in general. Schott apologized but still was banned; Turner has apologized as well but we all know it was because of the uproar, not his own convictions of penitence. The Group has petitioned commissioner Bud Selig and Major League Baseball to be consistent by banning the self-proclaimed "Mouth of the South." Baseball executives have promised to look into it. For more, click on Be brave and ban the Brave.

      NEW YORK (CWNews.com) - A Catholic group called on Major League Baseball on Tuesday to bar former Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner for a year for ethnic and religious slurs he made last month. Baseball officials said they would conduct a serious investigation into the matter.

      Turner said at a February 16 dinner of the National Family and Reproductive Association that if he ever met Pope John Paul II he would tell him a joke about a Polish joke and said the Holy Father "should get with it" on issues such as abortion. He also said the Ten Commandments should not have included a ban on adultery.

      Thomas Droleskey of Christ or Chaos said in his complaint this week that Turner should be sanctioned in the same manner as Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott, who was twice suspended for remarks that baseball officials determined were racially offensive. While Turner had already sold the Atlanta Braves, along with other properties, to Time Warner Inc., Turner is still connected to the team as a Time Warner vice chairman.

Philadelphia's Cardinal Bevilaqua calls on other agencies to share the burden of the impoverished and poor

      With the United States government tightening the vice on welfare assistance, Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilaqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia is setting the example for others by implementing training programs that will help welfare recipients get back on their feet and calls on other agencies to do the same so that human dignity will be preserved and fewer will be dependent on handouts but more self-reliant as he claims most people truly want to be. For more, click on Wings for welfare.

      DENVER, 10 (NE) In view of the difficult situation of more than 30 thousand welfare recipients in the state of Pennsylvania in risk of losing assistance, Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia, has made a calling to "share the responsibility of helping our brothers and sisters". Welfare recipients could lose assistance because of new welfare-to-work rules.

      The Cardinal urged leaders and businessmen of the community to "open their doors to those who once received social assistance, many of which are well trained and prepared for work". "Working together as a community we can create possibilities for many people", he pointed out.

      The archdiocese of Philadelphia has put into action different programs of preparation and training of people so that they may be employed. Also, through the archdiocesan Catholic Social Services, it is seeking to protect from the effects of welfare reforms those who can not apply to a job.

For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site at the CWN home page and Church News at Noticias Eclesiales. Both CWN and NE are not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provides this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.

     The site we feature today is one that garnered our GOLDEN CHALICE AWARD a year ago. The CATHOLIC LEAGUE FOR RELIGIOUS AND CIVIL RIGHTS is the virtual watchdog safeguarding Catholic rights in America. It was this organization's head William Donoghue to whom Ted Turner sent an apology letter for his slurs against the Pope, the Polish people and Catholics in general. The letter is available for reading on this site.

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March 11, 1999 volume 10, no. 49   DAILY CATHOLIC