Prowling About The Garden
+JMJ
The enemy is cunning, devious, a clever liar, and a master deceiver. The Lord has been spending a lot of time showing me these things lately. Fitting for Halloween coming up, I suppose. My post last week was a huge revelation for me in this area. The work of the enemy to blind and deceive my heart. Just as our Lord is always present, so is the enemy ever present to deceive and trick me.
Every Thursday I pray the Holy Hour practiced by St. Gemma Galgani on the Agony in the Garden. In the following Meditation and Contemplation, the Lord showed me how ever present the enemy really is in my life. The Lord reveals just how vigilant the devil is in searching for an opportunity to pull me away from the loving grace of Jesus.
Agony in the Garden
And going out, He went, according to His custom, to the Mount of Olives. And His disciples also followed Him. And when He was come to the place, He said to them, “Pray, lest ye enter into temptation.” And He was withdrawn away from them a stone’s cast, and kneeling down, He prayed, saying, “Father, if Thou wilt, remove this chalice from Me, but yet not my will but Thine be done.”
And then appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in an agony, He prayed the longer. And His sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground. And when He rose up from prayer, and was come to the disciples, He found them sleeping for sorrow. And He said to them, “Why sleep you? Arise, pray, lest you enter into temptation.”
As He was yet speaking, behold a multitude; and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near to Jesus, for to kiss Him. And Jesus said to Him, “Judas, dost thou betray the Son of Man with a kiss? -Luke 22:39-48
My Meditation: The Devil Prowls About
The devil stalks Him in the darkness, his pride compelling him to work evil against the most beloved Son, Our Lord. The Lord knows the devil is in the garden, slithering and slinking about. The Lord also knows what His mission and purpose are, and what events need to come about to complete this mission. He turns His blood stained face to heaven, and gives His “Fiat.” “Thy will be done.” So, allowing the enemy to begin his evil work.
But is is impossible for him to touch the Lord, who prays and suffers perfectly in the garden. So, he moves against the disciples, making them sleep, unconcerned, turn inward to their own needs, and succumb to weariness.
The devil, ever vigilant, waits for his opportunity. Consumed in pride and anger, finding the sight of our Agonizing Lord revolting, he enters the hearts of the mob. A dark cloud of mist covers them and Satan begins to tighten their hearts, turning them cold against Jesus. They are filled with rage and lose rational reasoning. The devil incites them by whispering lies in their ears, stoking the flames of their pride. Causing rage to burn and move them in violence against Him. Judas, especially, he takes hold over. Strangling the very heart in his chest. He turns it to ice: unfeeling, and hard as stone. Judas dismisses the whispers that remind him of the glories he had witnessed from the Blessed Lord. The devil has entered him, and the Lord has allowed it, in order to accomplish His greatest work of Salvation.
The hearts of the mob and Judas could not beat for Jesus, like His did, in love, for them. Each beat of His Sacred Heart sending out waves of love but are rejected because of the efforts of the devil. His love rejected by those who are engraved on His heart.
My Contemplation
I follow Jesus into the garden, walking behind Him as He prays. The distance between us gradually increases as I my attention is turned away from Him. Obstacles appears and slow me down. Briars and thorns make me stop in my tracks. Beautiful but distracting flowers. Enticing fruit. They all increase my separation from the Lord.
I hurry ahead but when I get to Jesus, He is unrecognizable. I am taken aback by the state I find Him in. Blood covered, beaten, and bruised. His face, once so beautiful, is hidden beneath the wounds. His divinity obscured in my eyes by the wretchedness of His condition.
That is when I hear a whisper in my ear, “How can someone who looks like this save you?”
As I reflected on all this imagery, I began to realize how much it applied to me.
The Lord has planted me in the garden of my life. Where He is the gardener and works so lovingly to bring me to Him. He diligently guides me on the road to Heaven. The enemy is also in the garden working so maliciously to stop me from growing closer to God.
The enemy is always prowling around waiting for an opportunity to separate me from my Lord. He is very good at twisting things into lies that hold me hostage within my own heart. He tries to harden it and deaden it to anything that draws me closer to Jesus.
The devil wants to make the Lord unrecognizable to me. To make the Lord appear powerless and distorted in my mind. He wants the Lord to remain unseen in my life. He wants me to forget all the miracles and blessings the Lord has blessed me with, and to instead be left feeling helpless, hopeless, and despairing. He whispers lies in my ears to create doubt and fear, which are very powerful tools he wields. Satan wants me to believe that the Lord cannot possible take care of me.
None of these things are true! This has been a big light bulb for me. Just how much the enemy likes to lurk in the shadows and keep his activities hidden in secret. The words of the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen say it perfectly:
“Very few people believe in the devil these days, which suits the devil very well. He is always helping to circulate the news of his own death. The essence of God is existence, and He defines Himself as: ‘I am Who am.’ The essence of the devil is the lie, and he defines himself as: ‘I am who am not.’ Satan has very little trouble with those who do not believe in him; they are already on his side.”
The enemy is always present, though prefers to remain hidden. This is to better perform his diabolical work in my heart. Satan works in the dark and whispers enticing lies, and it suits him. But I see that my Almighty Lord is even more present. He is always ready and willing to come to my aid in the light. I am freed from the lies of the devil because of the light the Lord shines in the darkness.
Thrive in Jesus, my Friends!
How does the devil try to separate you from the Lord? Where are your weak areas? Where do you need to ask the Lord for help? What’s lies are you living? What is the devil trying to hide in your heart? Leave me a comment and let me know!
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