The Agony in the Garden - Infused with Faith, Hope and Charity
The Agony in the Garden
From The Revelations of Saint Bridget, on the Life and Passion of Our Lord, and the Life of His Blessed Mother, Chapter XV by Saint Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373)
Jesus speaks:
I had three things in my death.
First, FAITH, when I bent my knees and prayed, knowing that the Father could deliver me from my Passion.
Second, HOPE, when I waited so constantly, and said: Not as I will.
Third, CHARITY, when I said: Thy will be done.
I had, too, anguish of body and the natural fear of my Passion, when the blood issued from my body.
Let not my friends then tremble as if abandoned, when tribulation comes upon them; I showed them in myself that weak flesh always shrinks from trouble.
But you may ask, How did a bloody sweat issue from my body?
As the blood of the sick man is dried and consumed in all his members, so my blood was consumed by the natural fear of death.
Finally, my Father, wishing to show the way by which Heaven should be opened and the excluded man allowed to enter in, He, out of love delivered me up to the Passion that, by accomplishing it, my body might be glorified.
For in justice, my humanity could not enter glory without my Passion, although I might have done so by the power of my Divinity.
How then do they deserve to enter into my glory, who have little faith, vain hope, and no charity?
If, indeed, they had the faith of eternal joy and horrible punishment, they would desire naught but me.
Did they believe that I know and see all things, and am powerful over all things, and seek judgment of all? The earth would grow vile to them, and they would be more afraid to sin before me for my fear, than before men.
Had they firm hope, then their whole mind and thought would be to me.
Had they divine charity, they would at least think in mind what I did for them; how great was my labor in preaching, my pain in my Passion, my charity in death, because I preferred death to abandoning them.
But their faith is weak, tottering as it were, to fall; because they believe, when the assult of temptation is absent: they distrust, when any thing contrary comes upon them.
Their hope is vain; they hope that sin will be forgiving without justice and truth of judgment.
They trust to obtain the Kingdom of Heaven gratis; they desire to obtain mercy untempered by justice.
Their love towards me is all cold, because they are never inflamed to seek me unless compelled by tribulation.
How can I be warmed with such, who have neither right faith, firm hope, nor fervent love for me?
So when they cry out to me and say: "Have mercy on me, O God," they do not deserve to be heard, nor to enter into my glory.
As they will not follow their Lord to His Passion, they shall not follow Him to His glory.
For no soldier can please his Lord and, after falling, be restored to favor, unless he first humbles himself to expose his contemptuousness.
From The Revelations of Saint Bridget
The Agony in the Garden - Infused with Faith, Hope and Charity - From The Revelations of Saint Bridget, on the Life and Passion of Our Lord, and the Life of His Blessed Mother, by Saint Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373)
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