Back in 2022, I visited the Garden of Gethsemane – where the Lord’s Passion began with His arrest. Beside the ancient olive grove – some gnarled trees date back 1,000 years – is the Basilica of the Agony (originally a crusader chapel) where I knelt with my wife at the bedrock of stones, encircled by an iron ring of thorns, where Jesus prayed before He was betrayed.
As I prayed for God’s blessing on the Herald’s 133-year-old spiritual mission, I read a passage from St Luke’s Gospel that was framed and chained to the altar rail. Jesus is described as coming down from the Mount of Olives, knowing His end is coming, saying to His apostles: “Pray that you may not be put to the test.”
