THE SPIRIT IS WILLING BUT THE FLESH IS WEAK

Jesus weeps over Jerusalem
Jesus pleure sur Jerusalem
Jesus llora sobre Jerusalen

 From time to time over the years the Holy Spirit comes and whispers something into our hearts that changes our point of view about how we understand our relationship with Him.
Today, Palm Sunday, while listening to the story of the Passion in the Garden of Gethsemane, it seems as though I only heard one single sentence, the heading of this reflection.  It struck me that Jesus wasn't scolding the apostles with His words.  I now think that He was commiserating with them.  He was telling us that He knew what they were suffering at the time and that He too at that moment, was getting another lesson about the weakness of the flesh.  He had felt weakness before.  He had shed the tears of human frailty before this night.  He recovered from the two first recorded episodes, and He knew that He would have to see this one through to the end.  He knew, and His apostles knew that this was the end.  They all knew that this was their last pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  Remember their remonstrations to Him as He made the decision to come to the tomb of His friend Lazarus?
This is the Hour that they knew would come.
This is the hour when the strength of the spirit would have to prevail over the weakness of the flesh.  Even then, the God-Man Himself needed help...

The help promised in Psalm 91?
L'aide promis, psaume 91?
El ayudo prometido, salmo 91?

Jesus knew that no matter how valiant the human spirit is, there are some realities that it cannot overcome.  It is captive of the flesh and in some instances there is no escape from the nature in which it is locked.  Jesus knew that it is only in the Spirit that humanity can endure the troubles that assail it during the most difficult of times.  He was well aware that He had just shed tears over His friend Lazarus just a few days before.  I stood there listening and assessing my own fleshly weaknesses.  I stood there and wondered how many "Resurrections" I had celebrated over the years...not mine alone, but His in me.  Today, I knew that what He was telling His apostles was not coming from anything but the deep understanding that comes from past experience.

Our Mother in tears
Notre Mère en larmes
Nuestra Madre llorando

Finally, something else filled my soul as I was standing there in the presence of the proclamation of the Scripture.  It was the picture of strength and authority captured in the story that the Weeping Mother of God brought us at La Salette.  If this is not a reminder of the valor of human weakness sustained by the Spirit of God, what is?  The mixture of a resolute Spirit speaking though a weeping human can make miracles.  Mary did not accomplish the same work as Her Son did, but look at the results nevertheless.  Surely Her Son would not disparage His Mother for weeping in public over the sins of His and her people.  No, after my personal experience today, I am sure that the Suffering Jesus, the Risen Messiah knows that the weakness if the flesh in which the Holy Spirit is lodged is not to be disparaged.  This is the very weakness that is used by God Himself to demonstrate His glory and His indomitable Spirit's dominion over the process of our salvation.

Think about this as you spend a moment praying an "Our Father" and a "Hail Mary" before going on to the other things that you have scheduled for today.
When you're done with that, promise yourself that you will not cry at my funeral