And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
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Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
De Cons. Ev., iii, 4: And that none might think that He limited His Father's power, He said not, “If thou canst do it,” but “If it may be,” or, “If it be possible;” as much as to say, If thou wilt. For whatever God wills can be done, as Luke expresses more plainly; for he says not, “If it be possible,” but “Ifthou wilt.”.
Quaest Ev., i, 47: Nor is that an absurd interpretation which makes Our Lord pray thrice because of the threefold temptation of His Passion. To the temptation of curiosity is opposed the fear of death; for as the one is ayearning for the knowledge of things, so the other is the fear of losing such knowledge. To the desire of honour or applause is opposed the dread of disgrace and insult. To the desire of pleasure is opposed the fear of pain.
He prayed the third time, to teach us perseverance in our prayers. Of these particulars Christ might inform his disciples afterwards; or they were revealed to them. (Witham)
Our Lord prayed three different times, to obtain of his heavenly Father pardon for our past sins, defence against our present evils, and security against our future misfortunes; and that we might learn to address ourselves in prayer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Rabanus)
Otherwise; He says not, Let this cup pass away from Me, for that would be the speech of one who feared it; but He prays that it may pass not so as that He should be passed over, but that when it has passed from Him, it may go to another. His whole fear then is for those who were to suffer, and therefore He prays for those who were to suffer after Him, saying, “Let this cup pass fromme,” i.e. as it is drunk by Me, so let it be drunk by these, without mistrust, without sense of pain, without fear of death. He says, “If it be possible, "because flesh and blood shrink from these things, and it is hard for human bodies not to sink beneath their infliction. That He says, “Not as I will, butas thou wilt,” He would fain indeed that they should not suffer, lest their faith should fail in their sufferings, if indeed we might attain to the glory of our joint inheritance with Him without the hardship of sharing in HisPassion.He says, “Not as I will, but as thou wilt, "because it is the Father’s wi...
It is impossible that the human mind should not be tempted, therefore He says not “Watch and pray” that ye be not tempted, but “that ye enter not into temptation,” that is, that temptation vanquish you not.
Christ singly prays for all, as He singly suffers for all. “Their eyes were heavy,” i.e. an oppression and stupefaction came on as their denial drew near.
He prayed the third time, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be established.
And at one time we find him addressing them all together and at another time Peter. He says, “Simon, Simon, Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you.” Then he says to all in common, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” He is in every way encouraging them to be resolute and strong in these convictions. Then, that he might not seem to make his language altogether condemnatory, he says, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” For no matter how much you might wish to despise death, you will not be able to do so until God extends his hand. For the carnal mind draws you down. And again he prayed in the same way, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” It is clear here that his human will is in full harmony with God’s will. This harmony is what we must always seek after and follow. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
After that he returns and says to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?” They all were sleeping. He admonishes Peter. He is hinting at him in what he said, especially in the words “with me.” They are not employed without reason. It is as though he had said, “So you are the one who is ready to lay down your life for me, and you could not watch with me for one hour!” What follows also suggests the same admonition: “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” He is again instructing them not to be selfconfident but contrite in mind, to be humble and to refer everything to God. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
He “finds them sleeping,” both because it was a late hour of the night, and their eyes were heavy with sorrow.
But as they had all said the same, He charges them all with weakness; they had chosen to die with Christ, and yet could not even watch with Him.
That He prays for this a second and a third time, comes of the feelings belonging to human frailty, through which also He feared death, thus giving assurance that He was truly made man. For in Scripture when any thing is repeated a second and third time, that is the greatest proof of its truth and reality; as, for example, when Joseph says to Pharaoh, “And for that thousawedst it twice, it is proof of the thing being established by God.”
Serm., 58, 5: This speech of the Head is the health of the whole body, this saying is instruction to the faithful, animates the confessor, crowns the martyr. For who could vanquish the hatred of the world, or the whirlwind of temptations, or the terrors of the persecutors, if Christ did not in all and for all say to the Father, “Thy will be done. "Let all the sons of the Church then utter this prayer, that when the pressure of some mighty temptation lies upon them, they may embrace endurance of the suffering, disregarding its terrors.
Or, The Lord prayed thrice, to teach us to pray for pardon of sins past, defence against present evil, and provision against future perils, and that we should address every prayer to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that our spirit, soul, and body should be kept in safety.
Otherwise; In these words He shows that He took real flesh of the Virgin, and had a real soul, saying that His spirit is willing to suffer, but His flesh weak in fearing the pain of Passion.
Or, He prays thrice for the Apostles, and for Peter in particular, who was todeny Him thrice.
