
There are times when those we love face serious threats to their well-being and to their lives. Perhaps, like with Jesus, the outcome is a foregone conclusion. We cannot heal the situation. What will be will be. In such situations, we may have a tendency to feel helpless and to want, like the disciples, to have a few too many drinks and sleep the time away until the hour is over. It is too painful to remain alert and awake, to witness our loved one suffer. But these are exactly the times when it is essential to stay awake and pray with them. Jesus came to us to be fully human with us, to celebrate the joys and suffer the sorrows that we celebrate and suffer – to be one with us and, in so doing, to redeem us. That is what we can do for others. We can celebrate the joys and suffer the sorrows that they celebrate and suffer – to be one with them and, in so doing, to redeem their experience, whether it is a joyful or a sorrowful experience.
FULL SERMON HERE