Our Christian roots: Jesus in Garden of Gethsemene

(Vatican Radio) It’s on the hillside opposite the ancient stone walls of Jerusalem, commanding a sweeping view of the valley below. It’s the small olive grove where Christ prayed to be delivered from the terrible destiny that was soon to befall him. But Christ, who humbly accepted his fate, was to endure his torment in solitude – his three disciples had fallen asleep nearby.
Since the fourth century, the faithful have included the Garden of Olives in their pilgrimages to places of the Lord’s passion.
Today, pilgrims can stroll through the small grove and pray or stop to reflect on Christ’s last hours – among the gnarled, wizened olive trees shading the garden paths. In the early 20th century, the Franciscans, with the financial help of many nations, built a new basilica over the ruins of a fourth century church and the rubble of a Byzantine shrine.
The faithful can also visit the grotto of the betrayal – the place where for centuries, local Christians have believed Christ was betrayed by Judas.
As part of our series of Lenten reflections on Christian sites in the Holy Land, scholar and author Fr. Peter Stravinskas takes us up the hill to the Garden of Gethsemene, recalling Christ’s terrible last hours…
Listen to this program by Tracey McClure: