Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there." And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then he said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me." He went a little farther and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, "O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, do not as I will but as You will." Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Again, a second time, he went away and prayed, saying, "O my Father, if this cup cannot pass away from me unless I drink it, your will be done." And he came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So he left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to his disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand."

- Matthew 26:36-46

On Saturday, we read of Jesus' institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. We also read of Jesus' knowledge of Judas' betrayal. It was interesting to understand how, at this moment of betrayal, Jesus instituted the Eucharist, "giving thanks." And, also important to understand that it was offered to Judas. Forgiveness and reconciliation were always possible. But it is our refusal, our choices, that make the difference in rejection.

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there." And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then he said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me." Once again, Jesus has called on those who are closest to him, Peter, and the brothers John and James Zebedee, to be with him in this important hour. They are the same apostles who witnessed his Transfiguration. The Transfiguration is the exalted height of his true nature as Christ; now he calls them to be with him in his deepest hour of need.

He went a little farther and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, "O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, do not as I will but as You will." My study bible notes here: "According to his divine nature, Jesus knows he must drink the cup. As a man, he wishes the chalice to pass, for it is a mark of humanity to abhor death and struggle against it. He prays if ... possible the suffering be taken from him. Thus, he gives abundant proof that his flesh is true flesh, but without sin. Though Jesus' body is the temple of his divinity, we do not attribute to his divinity the properties of the humanity united to it: the Passion, the suffering and death."

Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." My study bible notes, "Watch and pray is a key to Christian spirituality and our struggle against temptations. Hereby Jesus' soul is strengthened and he faces death courageously. For, while the divine will of the Father and the Son is one, the Lord becomes obedient to the Father in his humanity. In contrast to Jesus' vigilance, his disciples sleep. Since body and soul are united, the spirit is paralyzed by a lethargic body. A willing spirit, recognizing the weakness of the flesh, knows it needs God's presence and power. True faith is nourished by ardent, vigilant prayer." To have God with us at all times is perhaps the greatest power we can have, even when we are helpless. Jesus' experience serves as an example for all of us who have to cope with hardship, abandonment, and what evils can befall us in the world. To walk with God is to walk through life, even at these depths - most especially at these depths. We are not alone. We pray for the strength to accept God's way through it all, and walk that walk.

Again, a second time, he went away and prayed, saying, "O my Father, if this cup cannot pass away from me unless I drink it, your will be done." And he came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So he left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words." Just as Peter will betray Christ three times, so Christ is let down three times by this inner circle, his closest friends, whom he has asked to "Watch with him." When we pray with and for one another, we can say of ourselves that we "watch with one another." We pray to know God's way through life, for the strength to accept it, and we "watch" with one another to guard against the temptations that come from weakness. These "temptations of the flesh" can come in many forms. In some Twelve Step or Recovery programs, we may say these temptations are the "inner drugs" of false beliefs and feelings that keep us from acceptance of life's hardships and the ways we need to walk through them. To "watch and pray" then is to help one another through life, through the hard things for which we need strength - and the good way forward - to get through.

Then he came to his disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?" Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going." But here, Jesus' friends fail him. It is that time of betrayal and trial, and they cannot stay awake and watch. He is alone. His strength comes by himself, with the help of God we could say, through prayer. This moment in the garden is the moment we must all cherish, because he has lived it for us - as an example for all the hardships we may go through in life. He has done it for us. He turns to the Father, and prays for the strength to follow the Father's way. By the third time he approaches his disciples, he has accepted what must be, and is ready to face his accuser and go through his ordeal, his Passion.

"See, my betrayer is at hand." The evil in the world is the betrayal of all that is good and righteous. Betrayal is in the nature of evil; it is part of its source of lies. As you walk through life and experience betrayal in one form or another, know that Christ has walked through it with you. We share with him the "good fight" that takes place in our hearts in this world. We pray as he did, for strength, for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Betrayal, as a characteristic of evil, is always designed to weaken us further, its shock debilitating to the system. Let us watch with one another for strength, and go through life as He asks us to, as we find in prayer.