Holy Week: Monday 25th March, 2024 March 25, 2024

Reflection on the WORD

Gratitude to Jesus – Faith: In today’s Gospel, Mary shows her deep gratitude to Jesus for raising her brother Lazarus to life, by anointing His feet with a very expensive ointment.  Ponder on: Nothing is too expensive, if we have deep gratitudeto Jesus for Dying and Raising to Life for our salvation.  Do we hoard God’s blessings or share them generously?

John 12:1-8

Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there; Martha waited on them and Lazarus was among those at table. Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was filled with the scent of the ointment. 

Then Judas Iscariot - one of his disciples, the man who was to betray him - said, ‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he was in charge of the common fund and used to help himself to the contents. 

So Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone; let her keep it for the day of my burial. You have the poor with you always, you will not always have me.’

Today's Pointers on God's Word

As you read the passage what words, phases or meanings caught your attention?

  • Jesus was foretelling His impending death when He told Judas to keep Mary’s ointment for His day of burial. 
  • We often view death with much fear and doubts. Jesus too was fearful of His death, but He willingly embraced it because His focus was on the fulfilment of His Father’s Will to save all peoples.
  • As we begin our Holy Week reflection, we too must learn to embrace God’s Will and try to live in His ways and overcome our fears and doubts in life.