HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK. (1)

HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK.

THEME: BEHAVIOUR THAT PLEASES GOD.

BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
St. Michael the Archangel Parish
Diocese of Novaliches

Jn 12:1-11

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one [of] his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions. So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

What a waste! A bottle of costly perfume, worth three hundred days’ wages, is poured on the feet of Jesus. Judas Iscariot was ostensibly scandalized by such a display of reckless extravagance, and he thought the money should have been given to the poor. But the Gospel of John reveals his true motive: he was a thief. In his eyes, the bottle of perfume is worth a lot more than the Lord Himself whom he sold for only thirty pieces of silver – the price of a slave who was killed (Ex 21:32). In the Gospel of Mark, this adverse reaction did not only come from Judas Iscariot but also from some disciples and other onlookers: “There were some who were indignant…They were infuriated with her.” (Mk 14:4).

But in the eyes of the Lord, the action of this woman, whom John identified as Mary of Bethany (Jn 11:2), was praiseworthy. There are at least four things about Mary that made her truly pleasing to God.

In the first place, Mary focused her attention solely on Jesus as Lord. The monetary value of the perfume – and everything else for that matter – is immaterial when it comes to giving glory and honor to the Lord. On the other hand, Judas and the others allow the poor to take their attention away from Jesus.

Secondly, Mary was ready to sacrifice her money and her whole self for the Lord. That is why she did not consider the amount she spent for the perfume. That was the sacrificial offering she thought of. On the contrary, Judas and the others had difficulty letting go of monetary and material concerns due to their greed and materialism.

Third, through her attitude and example, Mary was unconsciously directing people to Jesus. Her total focus on every word He speaks, her selfless generosity, and her readiness to sacrifice for His sake are effectively telling people that Jesus is the Lord and Savior. However, Judas and some followers resented her exemplary display of devotion, most likely out of envy and hypocrisy.

Finally, although unaware, Mary was part of the divine salvific plan. At that time, it was customary to anoint dead bodies in preparation for burial. After taking down the body of Jesus from the cross, there was no time to anoint it because of the onset of the Sabbath. And when the women went to the tomb for the anointing, the body was not anymore there for He has already resurrected. By anointing His feet, Mary unwittingly foreshadowed the death and burial of Jesus. That is why the Lord sternly reprimanded her detractors: “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial” (Jn 12:7). In the Gospel of Mark the words are, “She has done what she could. She has anticipated anointing my body for burial” (Mk 14:8). Clearly, then, this action of Mary was in accord with the divine plan.

The example of Mary reflects her willful and complete obedience to the first commandment: “Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength” (Deut 6:5). It may be recalled that on one occasion when Jesus and His disciples were in their home, her sister, Martha, was busy with the concerns of hospitality and had no time to listen to His words. When she complained that Mary was not helping her, Jesus told her: “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her” (Lk 10:42). The “better part” is listening to the words of Jesus.

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In the same token, this is precisely what the Lord meant when He said, “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” Serving the poor is undoubtedly commendable. But it cannot be more important than the Lord. In fact, when asked about what is the greatest commandment, Jesus said that loving God is the first, and loving our neighbor comes second. We attend to the needs of the poor precisely because we love God first and foremost. The poor cannot be truly loved except in God and in Jesus. Only those who truly love God are able to truly love the poor and the needy. And love of God is proven true only when there is genuine love of neighbor.

We serve the poor because we see the Lord in them: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40). We have to always remind ourselves that we are not only social workers or philanthropists; we are, above all, Christians. The Gospel of Christ is not only for social amelioration, but for eternal salvation.

This Holy Week, may the Lord give us the grace to set our priorities and values right. This, then, will clarify the direction of our life towards the eternal salvation He gained for us by His death on the Cross.

Fr. Mike Lagrimas
St. Michael the Archangel Parish
Diocese of Novaliches

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