On Sunday, we read and listened to the Passion of Our Lord according to the Gospel of St.
Matthew. Yesterday, we heard the Passion account according to Mark. And today, the Church presents
to us the Passion account according to St. Luke. And of course, this should be the object of our
meditation and consideration this week, the Passion and death of our Lord. And there is so much for our
spiritual instruction and nourishment contained in the Passion account. And I just want to mention
one of them that we find at the beginning of the Passion according to St. Luke that we just read
this morning. And that's where our Lord says to watch and pray not to fall into temptation.
When he brings forward with him Peter, James, and John a little further on in the Garden of
Gethsemane, he says, wait here and pray, as I'm going to go a little further to pray.
And when he comes back, he finds them asleep. And this has a symbolic or spiritual meaning for us.
This sleep that the apostles fall into is meant to signify the soul that falls into spiritual sleep,
so to speak. A soul that has lost its fervor and fallen into tepidity and lukewarmness. A soul that
has lost the ideal of holiness that no longer seeks and strives after holiness as its goal. And this
is considered a soul who is asleep. And so our Lord comes and says, arise, pray, lest you enter into
temptation. Arise, watch, and pray. And these refer to the two means that we are to use in order to advance
spiritually and not fall into temptation. When our Lord says, arise, watch, he's talking about the ascetical
life. The life of avoiding occasions of sin. The life of mortifying our flesh and mortifying our eyes.
Watching what enters into our mind and heart by guarding our senses. And then when our Lord, that part
depends on us and our own personal effort. And then when our Lord says, pray, he's referring to the means of
grace that God has given us to advance in the spiritual life, to avoid sin and to grow in virtue. Prayer,
prayer, first of all, and also the sacraments, okay? Confession and the Holy Eucharist. So let's
take to heart this counsel of our Lord in this, during this Holy Week. Let's watch and pray,
lest we fall into temptation. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
O Lord, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
O Lord, and of the Son, and of the Son, and of the Son, and of the Son.
Lord, and of the Son, and of the Son.
O Lord, and of the Son.
O Lord.
A Lot.
SSS of, Father.
Mesh S.