And they came to the land which is named Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples:

‘Sit here, while I pray.’

And he took along with him Peter and Jacob and John and he began to be very distressed and troubled. And he said to them: ‘My soul is deeply sad, death approaches. Stay here and be alert.’

And going on a little way he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour would pass from him.

And he said: ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.  Take away this cup from me. But not what I desire but what you do.‘

And he came and found them sleeping., and he said to Peter ‘Simon, are you asleep? You have strength to keep alert for one hour, don’t you?  (You three) keep alert and pray, so that you will not come to testing. The spirit is willing, but the flesh weak. ‘

And again having gone away, he prayed the same prayer. 

And again having come, he found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know how to answer him. 

And a third time he came and said to them: ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough. For the hour has come
– look the Son of Man is being handed over into the hands of the sinners. ‘Get up! Let us go. -look my betrayer has come near!’

God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

And Jesus said to them: Everyone will turn away , because it is written:

“I will strike down the shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered.”

But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.’

But Peter said to him:

‘Even though everyone turns away, certainly I will not.’

And Jesus said to him:

‘Truly I say to you, that you will deny me today three times – this night before the cock crows twice.’

But Peter said emphatically : ‘If it is necessary for me to die with you, I will not deny you.’ 

Everyone spoke in the same way.

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art –
Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

And as they were eating, having taken and blessed (God for )the bread he broke it: and gave it to them, and said:

‘Take, this is my body.’

And having taken the cup and given thanks (for it), he gave it to them and all of them drank from it, and he said to them:

‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.’

‘Truly I say to you, that I will never drink again from the fruit of the vine,
until that day when I will drink it, new, in the Kingdom of God.’

And having sung, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Lord, you have given me so much,
I ask for one more thing –
a grateful heart.

George Herbert

And when evening came he went with his disciples. And when they were reclining and eating, Jesus  said: ‘Truly I say to you that one of you, who is eating with me,  will hand me over. 

They began to be sad, and say to him, one after another, ‘Surely it is not me?’.

He said to them: ‘One the twelve, one who dips (bread) with me in the dish. Because the Son of Man will go away as it is written about him, and woe to that one through whom the Son of Man is handed over; it would be better for that one if they had not been born.

O Love, O God who created me, in your love recreate me.
O Love, who redeemed me,
fill up in me whatever part of your love
has fallen into neglect within me.
O Love, O God, who first loved me,
grant that with my whole heart,
and with my whole soul,
and with my whole strength,
I may love you.

Gertrude the Great

And on the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him:
‘Where do you want us to go that we might prepare in order that you might eat the Passover meal?’

And he sent two of his disciples  and said to them:
‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a water jar will meet you, follow him and wherever he enters say to the house owner :
“The Teacher says ‘Where is my guest room where I can eat the Passover with my disciples?’

And he will show you a large furnished upstairs room, ready, And there, prepare (the meal) for us.”

And the disciples went out and entered the city and they found it just as he had said to them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

And the disciples went out and entered the city and they found it just as he had said to them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

It was two days before  the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and the Chief Priests and the Scholars were seeking how, having arrested him,  they might kill him, with deceit.  For they said ‘Not during the Feast, otherwise there will be a riot among the people.’ 

And he was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper, reclining at the table, when a woman came, having an alabaster jar of nard perfume – pure and expensive. Having broken the jar, she poured it on his head. 

Some were angry with her: ‘Why did this waste of perfume happen? For this perfume was able to be to be sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ And they scolded her.

But Jesus said: ‘Leave her. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good deed for me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them. Me you do not always have. What she was able to do, she did. She anointed my body for burial beforehand. Truly I say to you, wherever the good news is announced in the whole world, what she has done will be spoken in memory of her. 

And Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went out to the Chief Priests to hand him over to them. Those who heard were glad and promised to give him silver. And he sought how to hand him over at the right time. 

Teach us, good Lord,
to serve thee as thou deservest;
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labour and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do thy will,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

St Ignatius

But about that day and hour nobody knows,
not the angels in heaven
nor the the Son, 
but only the Father. 

Watch out.
Be ready. 

For you do not know when is the time. 

It is like a man, on a journey,
having left his house
and having given to his servants
each authority for  their allotted work.
And he commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert. 

So stay alert.

For you do not know when the Lord of the House returns – 
Evening or at midnight or at cockcrow or early in the morning-  
Lest coming suddenly he finds you sleeping. 

What I say to you, I say to everyone – stay alert!

Grant, Lord,
that we may hold to you without parting,
worship you without wearying,
serve you without failing;
faithfully seek you,
happily find you,
and forever possess you,
the only God,blessed now and for ever.
Amen

St Anselm

Learn the lesson from the fig tree .
As soon as its branch is  tender, and puts out the leaves, you know that the summer is near. 

So you also, when you see these things happen, know that it is near, at the gates. 

Truly I say to you that this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 

Heaven and earth will pass away, my words will not pass away.

Thank you, dear Jesus,
for all you have given me,
for all you have taken away from me,
for all you have left me.

Thomas More (c.1478-1535)

But in those days,
after that trouble:

the sun will be darkened, 
and the moon will not give its radiance, 
and the stars will fall from the heaven, 
and the powers which are in the heavens will be shaken.

And then they will see the Son of Man coming on clouds
with great power and glory. 

And then he will send the angels 
and he will gather the elect from the four winds,
from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy,
For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen

But when you see the abomination (which causes desolation)-
who stands where he must not,
– let the reader understand-
then let those in Judea flee to the mountains. 

But let the one on the rooftop not go down
nor enter to take anything from their house.

And let not the one who is in the field turn back to pick up their cloak.

Woe to those who are pregnant
and to those nursing their babies in those days. 

Pray that it will not be wintertime.

For in those days there will be trouble such as has never been since the beginning of creation (which God created) until now – and never ever will be. 

And unless the Lord had not shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved.
But because of the elect, whom he had chosen, he shortened the days. 

And then if someone says to you ‘Look, here is the Christ’ or ‘Look there!’, do not believe them. False Christs will appear and false prophets, and they will give signs  and wonders to deceive, if it is possible, the elect. 

So watch out for yourselves. I have told you all things in advance. 

O Lord Jesus Christ,
stay beside me to defend me,
within me to guide me,
before me to lead me,
and above me to bless me,
that with you and in you,
I may live, and move and have my being,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

(unknown)