Rosary: The Agony in the Garden

The First Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary

Mar 11, 2024

The First Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary: The Agony in the Garden

Feast Day: Maundy Thursday in Holy Week

Mark 14:32 They went to a place called Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. 34 And He said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” 35 And going a little farther, He threw Himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 He said, “Abba, Father, for You all things are possible; remove this cup from Me; yet, not what I want, but what You want.” 37 He came and found them sleeping; and He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? 38 Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again He went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And once more He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to Him. 41 He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

This first Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary highlights the Agony in the Garden where the Passion of the Christ begins. Here in this garden, Our Lord submits Himself to the enormity of all sin already committed and to be committed by mankind. He makes present to Himself all of the horror, filth and degeneracy that we commit in our rebellion against God. Our Lord exposes to His Body and Soul all the evil throughout all time in preparation for the cup of wrath He must drink.

The agony that Our Lord experiences during this hour is so staggering that it causes Him to actually bleed through His skin like drops of sweat from His head and body. This is an actual medical condition known as hematohidrosis, which can occur in someone experiencing extreme levels of pain and stress. The suffering of Christ during this hour in the Garden is so crippling that an angel came and ministered to Him to strengthen Him for the rest of His Passion.

Remember this level of pain, suffering and agony that Our Lord endured and never forget that it is our sins which caused this. Hopefully remembering such horror will cause you to turn away from committing more sins.

Luke 22:39 He came out and went, as was His custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed Him. 40 When He reached the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” 41 Then He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, 42 “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet, not My will but Yours be done.” 43 Then an angel from Heaven appeared to Him and gave Him strength. 44 In His anguish He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. 45 When He got up from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, 46 and He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”

Our Lord has two wills in Himself, one being His Divine will and the other His human will. He became man in all things except sin, so Our Lord has a human will. As such, the natural state of a human will is the wish to avoid unnecessary suffering and death. So this is how we can properly understand these statements from Christ. It does not mean that He is not Divine and it does not mean He is not equal to the Father. It means in His humanity, Our Lord still retains the natural inclination of all humans to wish to avoid death. Yet even in this, the human will of Our Lord does not fight against or object to the will of the Father. Both the human and Divine will of Our Lord are in perfect union with the will of the Father.

Matthew 26:36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. 38 Then He said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with Me.” 39 And going a little farther, He threw Himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not what I want but what You want.” 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and He said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with Me one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again He went away for the second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

So what is this cup that Christ keeps asking the Father to let pass by Him? It is the final cup of wine that completes the Passover meal that was begun at the Last Supper. Something that many people miss in the Gospel narratives is that Our Lord ended the Last Supper with the Passover incomplete. The cup of wine that Jesus used for the institution of the Eucharist was the third cup of wine in the Passover. There is a fourth cup of wine which He does not drink. This fourth cup is the cup He references at the Last Supper when He says He will not drink it.

Mark 14:22 While they were eating, He took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it He broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is My Body.” 23 Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks He gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is My Blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.” 26 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

John 19:28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, He said (in order to fulfill the Scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to His mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the wine, He said, “It is finished.” Then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

So Our Lord says He will not drink the fruit of the vine until He drinks it new in the Kingdom of God. Yet the next day on the Cross, Our Lord drinks sour wine that is given to Him. This is not a contradiction, but instead He is showing that this cup, the fourth cup, is being consumed on the Cross as the new Paschal Lamb, the Lamb of God, is slaughtered for the New Passover in the New Covenant.

This cup is the one that Our Lord is referencing in the Agony of the Garden. For further reference, two links are provided below for an article and talk given by Dr. Scott Hahn on the fourth cup.

John 18:1 After Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with His disciples. 3 So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to Him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” 5 They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I AM HE.” Judas, who betrayed Him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I AM HE,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7 Again He asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I AM HE. So if you are looking for Me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that He had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom You gave Me.” 10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. 11 Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given Me?”

As the Agony in the Garden is concluding, one last agony must be endured by Our Lord. This agony is the ultimate betrayal of Christ by one of His own Apostles. Betrayal is one of the greatest sins we can commit because it comes from those whom we trust and we have granted special access into our lives. Judas with a kiss betrays the Son of Man.

Finally at this moment, it is not longer necessary for Our Lord to hide the true nature of Whom He is. His hour has finally arrived and when questioned by mankind about Himself, He openly declares that He is God. Notice His response to the guards when they say they are looking for Jesus of Nazareth. Our Lord responds with the response from God when Moses asked what answer he should give the Israelites when they ask for the Name of God. God responds to Moses to tell them that He is “I AM”. Jesus openly declares that He is God and the guards fall down in fear. The Lamb of God has made Himself present and known.

The Fourth Cup by Dr. Scott Hahn

Hunt for the Fourth Cup by Dr. Scott Hahn