38. And the reason He prayed that the cup might be removed from Him, if that were possible, was that, though with God nothing is impossible, as Christ Himself says, Father, all things are possible to Thee647    St. Mark xiv. 36., yet for man it is impossible to withstand the fear of suffering, and only by trial can faith be proved. Wherefore, as Man He prays for men that the cup may pass away, but as God from God, His will is in unison with the Father’s effectual will. He teaches what He meant by If it is possible, in His words to Peter, Lo, Satan hath sought you that He might sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee that thy faith may not fail648    St. Luke xxii. 31, 32.. The cup of the Lord’s Passion was to be a trial for them all, and He prays the Father for Peter that his faith may not fail: that when he denied through weakness, at least he might not fail of penitential sorrow, for repentance would mean that faith survived.

348 38. Cur dicat si possibile est.---Idcirco autem transferri eum, si possibile esset, a se precatus est: quia cum impossibile Deo nihil sit, sicut ipse ait: Pater, possibilia tibi omnia sunt (Marc. XIV, 36); 0373C impossibile tamen homini est passionis terrore non vinci, nec possit nisi per probationem fides nosci. Atque ideo et pro hominibus ut homo vult calicem transire, et ut Dei ex Deo voluntas effectui paternae voluntatis unitur. Id autem quod ait, si possibile est, manifeste in eo docuit quod ait Petro: Ecce satanas expetivit, ut vos cerneret sicut triticum: ego autem rogavi pro te, ut non deficeret fides tua 0374A (Luc. XXII, 31 et 32). Per hunc enim calicem dominicae passionis tentandi omnes erant. Et pro Petro Pater rogatur, ne deficiat fides ejus: ut negantis infirmitati vel dolor saltem poenitentiae non abesset; quae fides in eo non deficeret, quod poeniteret.