MEDITATION ON OUR LORD'S PASSION: And He Saith: Abba, Father, All Things Are Possible To Thee: Remove This Chalice From Me; But Not What I Will, But What Thou Wilt

VELDE, Adriaen van de 
Agony in the Garden 
1665

And he saith: Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee: remove this chalice from me; but not what I will, but what thou wilt Mk.xiv.

Christ, acknowledgeth, that he hath not yet obtained that, which he prayed for, therefore he prayeth the second time: because thou shall not be grieved, if thou art not heard by & by, which art neither so worthy a person, nor so earnest a prayer.

Mark every word of this prayer, (Abba pater) that is, Father, father, which repetition is a sign of a most vehement calling to him which is far off,  God truly is far off from sinners; wherefore we must say with David (Out of the depth I have cried unto thee O Lord, O lord hear my vice:) And because Christ in this place did represent the person of all sinners, which he had now taken upon him, know thou that our heavenly Father is a loving Father of all sinners, that whensoever thou shalt fall into a sin, thou shalt not be dismayed therewith.  And he doth not a little comfort us, when he addeth (all things are possible unto thee) for nothing is impossible or hard unto God: & this word (if thou wilt) doth express that God can easily help us, and that he needeth not to work or labor, because by his will only he can do all things.  And the reason why he will not, when we pray unto him, is, because through his continual love towards us, he guideth all things to our salvation.

Now join these three together (Father) which word importeth the love of God:(All things are possible) whereby is declared his omnipotence: (if thou wilt) by which thou seeth the easiness to perform it, & thereby thous shalt take a great comfort of the sorrows: It is the surest way in all prayer to lay aside our own will, for God will guide thee much better according to his will, when thou dost not interpose thine own judgment & senses.

Pray unto God that he will direct like thee unto a plough Ox, without thine own will.

Fr. Francis Costerus S.J. 1616

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