The Agony in the Garden
The Agony in the Garden is the first Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary. In Gethsemane, Jesus prays to the Father as his Passion approaches. He expresses his anguish and accepts the Father's will.
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Scripture
Matthew 26:36-39
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and pray.” He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled. Then Jesus said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me.” He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
Spiritual fruit: sorrow for sin
Jesus prays in Gethsemane
After the Last Supper, Jesus goes with his disciples to Gethsemane. He asks them to remain near him and keep watch while he prays. The Gospel allows us to see his sorrow and distress as the Passion approaches. He brings that suffering before the Father and freely accepts the Father's will.
The first Sorrowful Mystery is told in Matthew 26:36–46, Mark 14:32–42, and Luke 22:39–46. In his prayer, Jesus asks that the cup pass from him and accepts the Father's will. Reading the surrounding passage also recalls his words to the disciples when he finds them sleeping.
The fruit of sorrow for sin
Contrition is sincere sorrow for sin, with the resolve to turn back to God. In this decade, we acknowledge the wrong we have done and ask for forgiveness. Christ's prayer in the garden places our repentance before the love with which he accepts his Passion.
Contrition calls us toward sacramental confession. Where someone has been harmed, it also prompts us to seek reconciliation and make restitution. Our own need for forgiveness can help us be patient with the failings of others. Pray for a heart that can tell the truth with charity and receive another person's repentance without cruelty or self-righteousness.
Bringing distress into prayer
Gethsemane offers a place for the concerns we find difficult to express. Someone waiting for a diagnosis may be able to speak about little else, or may prefer silence. We can remember them here and pray for those who will accompany them. Christ brings his own distress before the Father in the garden.