They came to a place named Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took with him Peter, James and John and began to be troubled and distressed. Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch.” He advanced a little and fell to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour might pass by him; he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.” When he returned he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”  Withdrawing again, he prayed, saying the same thing. Then he returned once more and found them asleep, for they could not keep their eyes open and did not know what to answer him. He returned a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough. The hour has come. Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners. Get up, let us go. See, my betrayer is at hand.”

At one time during the beginning of the movie “A Beautiful Mind,” John’s wife Alicia responds to a question concerning how she was doing. Because John, her husband was suffering from schizophrenia, she answered that she felt obligation, guilt, and sometimes rage. But, she continued: when I look at my husband and I force myself to see the man that I married, he’s transformed into the person that I love. She was speaking the language of permanence, the language of a commitment that was for better or for worse, the language of a wife who knew that her husband needed her, even though her own life would go unfulfilled. It is an excellent example of what should happen in marriage and how people should behave who have made a permanent commitment. Of course, such a course of action is not easy. In fact, it is so difficult that many people refuse to make the effort.

Jesus of Nazareth faced difficulties with the same conviction of commitment. Knowing how difficult his future was, he prayed to his Father: “Take this cup away from me.” But his commitment was stronger than his human weakness. He continued: “Not what I will, but what you will.” He was convinced that his suffering was necessary for the salvation of all, and so he did it, even though his human nature rebelled against it.

Human nature is the problem. We want things to fall into line for us; we want an existence that is at least somewhat easy. When our human natures have to expend too much effort in order to accomplish the goal, even if the goal is one we have agreed to, we react in favor of lesser commitments. It is not easy to work at a marriage that does not seem to be going anywhere. It is not easy to remain at a job that has taken a turn for the worse. It is not easy to accept with conviction a difficult situation that has suddenly come upon us. We would much rather choose a road that has fewer roadblocks.

But committed people know that they have made a promise, and they know that the promise must be kept, no matter what the circumstances.

THOUGHT
In your opinion, do the people of our society respect a permanent commitment the way they should? Yes or no and why?

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son taught us the value of a permanent commitment even as he suffered the pains of the mental anguish of his agony at Gethsemane. Help us learn the lesson of what it means to say “forever.” Be with us, we pray.

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America