“Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41
Wow it is holy week already! It seems like the older I get the faster time goes. Anyway... Sunday was Palm Sunday. If you go to mass on Palm Sunday, then you would know it is extra-long because we read the Passion of Christ, which is awesome, it’s just kind of long so sometimes I zone out… But anyways this year for lent, as mention before I am doing a program called Exodus 90. and it has been awesome! I have grown so much! It’s also one of the reasons I have been writing more consistently. But anyways, the quote from Matthew I used was from the gospel. I have always really been attracted to this line “the spirt is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
To me this line meant more than it ever has, because of Exodus 90. “The spirt is willing,” I just think how many times do I am going to do something for lent, and I have this great idea, then when it comes time I just can’t do it. “The spirt is willing” Does this happen to you? You want to do something – maybe it’s for your prayer life, maybe it’s just for your life, maybe you want to start working out in the morning, maybe you want to give up texting, maybe you want to stop saying bad words – what every it may be, you are willing. “The spirt is willing” That’s great, and I wrote about how sometimes you just have to be willing to do something, but sometimes willing isn't enough. “The flesh is weak.” We fail. Sometimes it’s every day. If you have ever been truly addicted to something you know what this is like. “The flesh is weak.” We are so weak. I am at least. Sometimes I say I am going to fast, but at the first chance I get I eat something. Or when I am slow getting up in the morning – sometimes just a few more minutes turns in to an hour. We are weak and we sometimes let our flesh take over our spirit. A few of my last articles have been about discipline, and self-mastery. Which is a huge part of this. I believe if more people had better discipline they would be happier. That’s not my point right now. I have always really liked this quote from Matthew. But we need read the whole thing.
“Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41
This is when Jesus is in the Garden the night before his crucifixion. This is when he is taking on all of the sins of the world. Yours, mine, everyone’s. Out of love, he is taking them on. Jesus is talking to his disciples who keep falling asleep. Jesus is taking on the sins of the whole world, and they can’t stay awake. Jesus is taking on the sins of the whole world, and I can’t fast for a day. I can’t get up in the morning to pray. I can’t say no to something simply because “I want it.” Now, let’s look at the next part. “Pray” All Jesus is asking is for them to pray, he knows that thy need it. He knows that they are already willing, but he also knows that the flesh is weak. He knows because he lives, he has all the same struggles we have. “Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” We need to pray and ask not to be put to the test. We need to pray that when we do have to fight and be put to the test we can overcome. We are going to be put to the test and it’s only going to get harder. There is going to be a time when you are going to have to make the choose to stay awake, when it would be so much easier to go fall asleep. Just want to end by reminding us that Jesus died for each of us! He would have done it for you, even if you were the only person alive. That is how much he loves you.
Anyways just my thoughts.
God with God
