My Soul Is Sorrowful: The High Priest Who Understands Our Pain. Breakfast With the Word, Feast of Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest

Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest
Matthew 26:36–42

 

There is a well known humble priest of the Catholic Diocese of Orlu that I know very well. If I mention his name in this write up, many of us will know him , though he is late now.  This priest was highly dedicated to his pastoral work. He is a priest who served his parish with deep love and what I can call a quiet sacrifice.

When you encounter him, you will surely encounter a transformation. He was the kind of priest who was always available. Because of how charismatic and gifted he is,people come to him with tears, burdens and counseling. He is always available to listen to them. When families fight and disrupt their peaceful coexistence, he will always listen to them and make peace. He goes out of his comfort to make sure there is peace. He visits the sick every Saturday. Even when the poor come to him for help, he will always find something to give them. He has a series of devotions in the parish to keep the parish spiritually active without tiring.

 

But what many people did not know was when  this priest became sick. In that sickness, he still celebrates his masses, continuing the pastoral duties. So, many, if not all did not know that he was carrying pain in his own body. He had his own private battles.

Sometimes, after celebrating Mass, he would return to his room exhausted. Yet he did not announce his pain. He kept serving. He kept praying. He kept carrying the burdens of others, even when his own burden was heavy.

When I came back last year, we discussed a little about his health and I was shocked that all these while, he was carrying such a heavy burden yet did not give up in serving the people. I surely encouraged him and gave him some medical advice.

It was only when he died that many people began to understand the depth of what he had been passing through. Then many were asking , “Father was suffering all this while, and we did not know.”

 

In fact this is not just him, many priests currently pass through this same road. Many smile while they are bleeding inside. Many bless others while they are wounded. Many listen to people’s problems, but have no one to listen to their own. Many carry the pain of families, the struggles of youths, the wounds of broken marriages, the cries of the sick, the hunger of the poor, and the spiritual battles of the parish. Nobody knows.

 

This does not mean priests are perfect. Priests are human beings. They can be tired. They can be weak. They can be misunderstood. They can be lonely. They can be sorrowful. But the mystery of the priesthood is that God uses weak men to carry divine grace.

 

This resonates with the feast of today. Today is the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest. In the gospel of today, the Church takes us to Gethsemane, where Jesus says: “My soul is sorrowful to the point of death.” (Matthew 26:38)

Here, Jesus did not pretend that He was not in pain. Jesus did not hide His sorrow. Jesus did not say, “I am strong, so nothing touches me.” No. He opened His heart and said, “My soul is sorrowful.” This is a painful sacrifice He willingly accepts to save humanity.

 

Our High Priest Understands Human Pain

 

The gospel of today on this day is for a reason. By being a priest,  Jesus offers the ultimate sacrifice which is himself , He becomes the mediator between us and God. By undergoing pain, it means He understands our pain. He understands what it means to be afraid.

 

Jesus  understands what it means to be abandoned. By saying “My soul is sorrowful, it means that He understands what it means to cry in silence” He understands what it means to carry a burden that others do not see. By undergoing a painful moment, it means He understands what it means to pray when the heart is breaking.

 

The Letter to the Hebrews explains this very well when it tells us “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses.” ( Hebrews 4:15)

 

This is the beauty of our faith. This means that we do not have a distant God. We do not have a God who sits in heaven and watches our tears without concern. We have a High Priest who entered into our pain. He wore our flesh. He felt our sorrow. He carried our wounds.

 

 

The Priestly Sacrifice

 

In the gospel today, Jesus took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him to the garden of Gethsemane. The gospel relates that sadness came over him, and he was in great distress.

 

Then he said to them, ‘My soul is sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here and keep awake with me.’  Then going on a little further he fell on his face and prayed: ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it.’

 

In this Gethsemane, what we have to understand is that Jesus is not only praying. He is actually beginning His priestly sacrifice. Before Jesus reaches the Calvary, let us remember that there was a time in the Gethsemane. Before He shed his blood on the Cross, there was sweat in the garden.

 

It was at this garden that He said “Not my will, but yours be done.” That is the heart of the priesthood. I think this is what the priest I narrated to you did. He offered his weakness and pains in the service of God.

 

A priest stands between God and the people. He offers prayers for the people. He carries their burdens to God. He offers sacrifice. But Jesus is the perfect priest because He did not offer an animal. He offered Himself.

The letter to the Hebrews says; “He offered Himself once and for all.”  Hebrews 7:27. Therefore, this is a perfect sacrifice. As an eternal high pursuit, his sacrifice is not a temporary one but eternal and perfect sacrifice. Jesus is the priest,  the victim,  the altar and  the sacrifice.

 

 

The Hour of Gethsemane

The hour or gethsemane can be seen as a holy hour. This is the hour we devote totally to God despite our challenges. The hour of gethsemane is the hour we suffer with Christ. In Gethsemane, we see the true face of love.

 

At gethsemane,love is proven not by emotional talks but intense sacrifice and deep love. At Gethsemane, Love is not always sweet feelings. Love is not always comfortable. At gethsemane, love is sometimes staying when you want to run. Love is sometimes praying when you are tired. Love is sometimes carrying a cross that nobody understands. Today, Jesus said:

“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it.”

 

This is not a prayer of weakness. This is a prayer of surrender. Dearest, there are times we also meet our own Gethsemane. A mother may enter Gethsemane when she carries the pain of her children. A father may enter Gethsemane when he has no money, but must still encourage the family.

 

You may enter Gethsemane when life becomes confusing and lonely to you. When everybody accuses you of something you know nothing about. It is those times when it seems everybody has abandoned you.

A sick person may enter Gethsemane when the body is weak and healing seems far.
A priest may enter Gethsemane when he carries the wounds of the people and still stands at the altar. The message today is this: when you are in Gethsemane, you are not alone. Jesus has been there before you.

 

Therefore, when your soul is sorrowful, Jesus understands. When your friends sleep while you are suffering, when people do not notice your tears, when you pray and the cup does not pass immediately, Jesus understands.

 

Could You Not Watch with me for One Hour?”

The disciples slept in the hour Jesus needed them most. He said: Could you not watch with me for just one hour?. This is also a question for us today.

Can we stay one hour with Jesus? Why is it difficult to devote time with Jesus? Can we stay with Him in prayer? Can we stay with Him in the Blessed Sacrament? Is it possible to stay with Him in the Holy Mass?

Can we stay with Him in the suffering members of His Body? Who among our suffering and sick members have you visited?  Can we stay with our priests in prayer instead of only criticizing them?

 

Many times, we want priests to be strong for us, but we forget to pray for them. We want them to answer our calls, visit our homes, bless our families, bury our dead, counsel our children, settle our conflicts, preach powerful homilies, and never get tired. But we hardly support them.

We find it very easy to spread rumors about them and destroy their names. Priests also need your prayer and support.

 

So today, as we celebrate Jesus the Eternal High Priest, let us remember all priests. Pray for your priests. Encourage them. Do not add unnecessary wounds to their hearts. A priest may be smiling, but you may not know the battle he is fighting.

 

A priest may be preaching hope, but he may also need hope. A priest may be blessing you, but he also needs God’s mercy and strength. So many times they have their struggles and burdens.  St. Paul says:“We hold this treasure in earthen vessels.” ( 2 Corinthians 4:7)

 

The priesthood is a treasure, but the priest is an earthen vessel. The grace is divine, but the man is human. That is why we must pray for priests, support priests, and also listen to them.

 

What to Do When Sorrow Enters the Soul

 

This homily is not only about priests. It is also about every one of us. In the gospel, Jesus teaches us what to do when sorrow enters the soul.

 

First, go to prayer. Jesus went to Gethsemane to pray. Do not run first to anger. Do not run first to complain. Do not run first to despair. Run first to God.

 

Second, be honest with God. Jesus said, “Let this cup pass me by.” He expressed His pain. God is not afraid of your tears. God is not offended by your honest prayer.

 

Third, surrender to God’s will. Jesus said, “Your will be done.” This is the highest prayer. Not my pride. Not my anger. Not my fear. Not my plan. Lord, let Your will be done.

 

Fourth, watch and pray. Jesus told the disciples, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Many people fall not because they are evil, but because they stopped praying. Prayer gives strength to the weak flesh.

 

My dear people of God, the sorrow of Jesus was not useless. His priestly sacrifice gave us life.

So when your soul is sorrowful, do not think God has abandoned you. Sometimes, the garden of sorrow becomes the beginning of your redemption. Sometimes, those nights of pain become the road to your resurrection. Sometimes, the cup you want to avoid becomes the place where God reveals His glory to you and grants you a breakthrough.

 

May Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest, strengthen every priest who is tired, heal every member of the Church that is sorrowful, comfort every family in pain, and teach us to say with faith: Father, not my will, but Your will be done.

Amen.