Meditations on the Rosary

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Induction: Secret Garden

Start by finding a comfortable position. If you are sitting, have your feet grounded to the floor. If you are lying down, wriggle your feet and toes for comfort. Rest your arms and hands in a comfortable position, either on your lap or by your side, with hands open, closed, in prayer position, or whatever feels easiest for you. Now take three long, deep breaths, slowly breathing in and out from your lower belly area, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Gently begin to close your eyes and let yourself soften completely by releasing areas of tension and any negative energies. Imagine that all the stress you harbor is leaving your body.

Imagine now that you are standing on a balcony overlooking a beautiful garden. It’s a lovely, warm summer evening, and the air is filled with the fragrant smell of sweet-scented flowers. Part of the garden is hidden, and you really want to go down there. Ten steps lead down from the balcony into the garden, and you begin to walk down the steps, counting with me in your mind as you go down. Ten, the day is perfect. Nine, you seem to just float down the stairs. Eight, the flowers smell so fresh. Seven, the air is so clean. Six, you are so happy in that garden. Five, as you go down the stairs, four, you seem to be floating. Three, down, down, two, down, one.

Now you’re standing at the bottom of the steps, and you see a little white stone pathway that winds through a wooden archway into a private garden. Flowers cling to the entrance, and there are weeping willows on either side. Birds are singing in the trees, and there’s a soft, gentle breeze. You can feel it on your skin. Walking through the garden, you feel peace and the calmness it brings to you. Let this calm and relaxed feeling flow through any areas of your body that may still feel some tension. Your muscles melt into total relaxation, and now clear your mind, free your thoughts, and focus on my voice. You are going to be meeting with Jesus in another garden, the garden of Gethsemane.

Context

Envision that you are traveling back in time two thousand years. You are in the city of Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. It is the Passover celebration week. The Romans are in control of the area, and Pontius Pilate is the current prefect to Rome. Herod Antipas is tetrarch of Galilee in the province of Judea, and although he is Jewish, he is appointed by Rome to keep the Israelites in place. The high priest of the Jewish temple is Calipas, and he desperately needs to keep peace and order among the Jews. Rome has made it clear that if problems arise, worship in the temple will be halted.

It is Thursday during the Passover week celebration, and Jesus has just eaten his last supper with his apostles in the upper room. According to all four gospels, directly after the supper, Jesus took a walk to pray. Both Matthew and Mark identify this place of prayer as Gethsemane. The agony in the garden is the event that begins the passion of Christ, where Jesus was overcome with fear and grief for what he was about to face.

And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him. He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground. When he rose from prayer and returned to his disciples, he found them sleeping from grief. (Luke 22:43–45)

Ponder the virtue of sorrow for sin, the fruit of Jesus’s agony in the garden. Consider what Jesus is going through, how betrayed he must feel knowing that his closest companions will betray him before the night is over. Forgiveness is a gift of God and a practice for all of us to live by— forgiveness and redemption, as he knew that night that he would be the last sacrificial lamb of God, crucified for our salvation.

Now imagine that you are there in the garden as dusk approaches. The air around you is still and calm but begins cooling now against your face, as the night slowly consumes the scene. In the distance, you begin to hear soldiers coming. There is still some light out, but the sun is slowly setting below the horizon. Consider the details of your surroundings, the grass in the meadows, the grounds around you, and the olive trees in the garden. Perhaps you are sitting under one. Now place yourself in the scene. Tonight you are a witness to the most profound night in history, an event that would eventually change the world.

As the soldiers get closer, Jesus motions to you as if he wants to talk with you. He is distraught with fear, but he takes your hand, looks into your eyes, and bows his head to whisper something to you, so you look away to put your ear near his voice. Now listen for a moment to what he is saying to you.

(Take a long pause of three to five minutes.)

Reorientation

Now the scene begins to fade away, but His message lingers on in your heart and with all who honor Him. Give thanks to God and show gratitude for all that you are, the wondrous life and love that you have around you. When you are ready to leave your peaceful place, you can begin to reawaken your body and mind. Feel your muscles reawakening as you take note of your surroundings and slowly return to the present. Wiggle your fingers, and open and close your hands a few times. Wiggle your toes, and flex your ankles. Begin to move your arms and legs, and when you are ready, slowly reopen your eyes. Stretch if you desire to, feeling your body becoming fully awake. Now take a moment to sit quietly as you reawaken completely and further ponder the experience.