As a priest I am frequently asked questions from people who are people of prayer, but suddenly find themselves in the deep end of the pool of life: illness, love lost, love found, death, financial ruin, crises of faith – and more. And they are looking at me as though I am the lifeguard of prayer ready to throw them a life ring… They are waiting for me to respond, to give clarity and certainty, reassurance, and hope… and many times, it the pastoral encounter which stirs up my own memories … Continue reading
Of course we all know that after the meal with his disciples that Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane. Actually, no gospel says that. Matthew and Mark wrote that he went to a garden. John says he went to Gethsemane. Fuse them all together and you get the “Garden of Gethsemane.” What does Luke say? Luke only calls it “the place.” There is no garden specifically mentioned nor is Gethsemane. Is it important? Well, it is a reminder to be attentive to the text before you and not meld the familiar stories and scenes from other sacred writers. Each sacred writer has something distinctive that can be missed if one fuses all the details from other accounts. 
“While he was praying …” (Luke 9:27) During my time in Kenya, one of my friends was missioned in Guatemala among the Quechua people. That is a part of the country where people are poor, easily overwhelmed by the authorities in Guatemala City and the provinces, the maze of governmental forms and foreign laws of another culture. 
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