The Olive press

    The name Gethsemane, means "Olive press". The area on the slopes of the Mount of Olives was a functional, agricultural site and working Olive orchard. The olives were gathered there and crushed in the stone basin, and then pressed under heavy wooden beams to extract the oil. 

    Sound familiar? Look who was present in that Garden and who shed drops of blood from His own body. Our Jesus. Just like the olive press, our sins crushed our Lord's Blessed body to the point of excretion and excruciation. Then, having laid down on the wooden beam, to finally crush every sin. Death was defeated. 

    The Garden remains to this day. Just as our Jesus remains also. His crushing, produced the "Oil of Salvation". The Oil of healing and cleansing for all who believe. Many gardens had been retreated to for prayer with Jesus and His disciples in the past. But that one day, had been a long day, as the stress of the nearness of Jesus's Passion and death was drawing near. Jesus picked this particular Garden and asked His disciples to remain watchful. Three times they failed Him with their sleep and three times they awoke to their dismay at realizing they could not stay awake. Their bodies and minds were comforted by sleep that seemed almost impossible to avoid. The parallel of these three times also reflects on the three times St. Peter denied our Lord that he knew his beloved friend and teacher.    

    Much happened in that Garden that night. May we reflect on what Jesus did truly see and the images that were being placed before Him in that Garden. How much He suffered for us.

    Remember, just as the sweet Angel came to our Lord in the deepest of Agony, so too will our God send us comfort and assurance that we can do all things in Him who strengthens us.