Thomas Merton is one of the most influential spiritual writers of the 20th century. He emphasized the spirituality of solitude and silence—pausing amidst a busy life. Father Park Jae-chan, who studied Merton for a long time, often spoke about Merton’s spirituality. However, he once said that he received a great realization when someone told him, "Instead of talking about the God Thomas Merton met, I’d rather hear about the God you met." He desires a faith in which he personally meets and experiences the Lord, not just hears about the God someone else encountered. We often tend to think only from our own perspective. But for spiritual maturity, we must learn to see from the Lord’s perspective. As elders say, "You’ll understand when you have children of your own," in childhood we do not understand a parent’s heart. But after we grow up, we come to understand it.

Through today’s passage, let us reflect on the Lord’s perspective—what was His heart like? As we meditate, let us consider how we can remain awake with Him.

1. We can remain awake through the comfort of being together in our loneliest moments**

 1) The background of today’s passage is the scene of the Lord praying in the Garden of Gethsemane before facing the suffering of the cross.  Gethsemane was a quiet place of prayer where the Lord often went. It is where olive oil was pressed. Facing the terror of death and the weight of humanity’s sin, Jesus confessed, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Matthew 26:38). We might think, "If anyone should be calm in hardship, it should be the Lord," and it’s easy to think that way. But the Lord took on the same flesh as us. Bearing the sin of the world was overwhelming even for Him. That is why Hebrews says that during His earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears.

2) Jesus asked Peter, James, and John, "Stay here and keep watch with Me." Why did He ask this? Jesus, the King of kings, asked His weak disciples to pray—not because He needed their ability, but because He wanted spiritual closeness with His loved ones in His most painful moment, showing His human loneliness and love. 

For our faith to grow, we need both time alone and a spirit of togetherness. Faith is not about "me alone" believing well. Even now, the Lord desires us to join in His suffering through prayer. Being together in the loneliest moments brings great comfort and hope. Mature love is sharing not only the joy of flesh meeting flesh but also the pain of bone touching bone. That is the meaning of Lent—the willingness to be together. Empathizing with the Lord’s loneliness and staying by His side is the beginning of mature faith. Let us stay awake by praying together and comforting one another.

2. We can remain spiritually awake only by overcoming the weakness of the flesh

1) At the very moment when prayer was most needed, the disciples were overcome with sleep (Matthew 26:37–38). On one side, there is Jesus, awake and praying earnestly; on the other, the disciples, sleeping. For Jesus, time at this moment had a different density. He prayed with blood, sweat, and tears in a time of such intensity that every second mattered. But the time the disciples spent sleeping had no such density. There was no empathy, no sense of striving. They were simply overwhelmed by physical fatigue and fell asleep.

Jesus asked, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?" Then, understanding them yet also warning them, He said, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

2) Jesus did not intend to rebuke His disciples. His earnest desire was that they would not fall into temptation. He knew the many trials that lay ahead. He knew that without staying awake, they could not overcome the temptations of the adversary. That is why, despite their exhaustion, He tried to wake them.

Our faith must be a wakeful faith. Yet we often find ourselves not awake. Why is that? There are many reasons. This reason, that reason. The disciples also fell asleep because they were too tired. Or, "I wanted to stay awake, but everyone else was sleeping, so I drifted off too."

We must not hide behind the excuse that "the flesh is weak." We must overcome the weakness of the flesh. It is said that the mind governs the body. Our faith and spirituality can grow only when they have dominion over the body. Only when we set aside time each day to pray and practice communicating with the Lord—training ourselves so as not to fall into spiritual slumber—can we remain spiritually awake.

3. We can remain awake only by laying down ourselves

1) Jesus prayed honestly, saying, "Let this cup pass from me," but ultimately prayed, "Not as I will, but as you will." This prayer shows us the nature of obedience and self-denial. The Lord's prayer, in the midst of His suffering, was a profound prayer of obedience—one that completely surrendered Himself. His prayer was not about pressing His own demands but about setting aside His own will and submitting to God's plan—a prayer of self-denial.

2) The prayer we learn from Jesus is not about asserting ourselves or emphasizing what we want. Rather, it is about laying ourselves down. When we lay down ourselves, we can remain awake. The purpose of prayer is not to achieve our own desires but to discover God's will and to gain the strength to obey it.

"Let this cup pass from me… yet not as I will, but as you will." Prayer ultimately concerns itself with our needs, but it is a process of being transformed toward God's will. When we lay down ourselves, as the Lord did, we can become spiritually awake.

Conclusion

The disciples could not stay awake that night. They fell asleep. Each time the Lord came back—three times—they were sleeping. When He came to them the last time, He said, "Sleep on now and take your rest."

1) "Sleep on now and take your rest" (verse 41). Though these words may sound almost like resignation or giving up, He said them because the situation had become so urgent that staying awake would no longer matter. It is often said that life is all about timing. That is, there is a right time for everything. We must not miss that moment. It is said that there is a proper time for studying as well—when you are a student, you should focus on your studies above all else. As we go through life, we realize the truth of that saying. There is an appropriate time for everything. Our spiritual life, our prayer life, our time of meditating on the Word—each has its appointed time. If we put things off, we may find ourselves unable to do them even when we want to, or if we do them late, it may no longer matter. Therefore, let us recognize the right season and strive to live according to it.

2) "Rise, let us be going" (verse 42). Yet even so, Jesus did not abandon His sleeping disciples. Though they had failed to stay awake, He kept them by His side and moved forward with them. This is grace. 

Gethsemane was not the end. Pentecost would come, and the gospel would be preached to the ends of the earth. Even though the disciples fell asleep that day and failed to remain awake with the Lord, they later heard the voice saying, "Arise," and they rose up. It is not over until the very end. Even if we have fallen asleep, even if we have failed, when we rise again, the Lord will work through us. As we approach Passion Week, let us heed the Lord's voice calling us to remain more vigilant and become saints who pray with watchfulness. Then we will hear the Lord's voice: "Rise, let us be going."