Daily Holy Mass Readings: Isaiah 42:1-7, Psalm 27:1-3, 13-14, John 12:1-11
Isaiah 42:1-7
My Beloved, You are the Covenant of Love that the Father makes with us. He sent You into the world in order that He who is invisible, who is Spirit, might become visible and tangible to us. That we might see with our eyes, hear with our ears, touch with our hands and taste with our mouth and hearts how good indeed He is who is in You. He sent You as Light to dispel the darkness of sin, He sent You as Life to bring to life those dead in sin, He sent You as our Comfort to wipe our tears. He sent You as Mercy to give us hope. He sent You as our Peace to take away our fears and anxieties. He sent You as the Way to take away our despair and lead us back to Him. He sent You as Love in order that we may be loved by God Himself.
You make me a new creation made in Your very image and likeness and you have given me a dignity I did not possess until I became a member of the family of God. Thank You for making me a daughter of the Most High whom I now call Abba at Your prompting.
Psalm 27:1-3, 13-14
This is my song for today Lord. If You be for me my Beloved, who can be against me. My Beloved, any good I do is because it is You doing the good in me, I can only take credit for my stupidity.
John 12:1-11
Beloved, responding to the invitation of Your closest friends Lazarus whom You raised from the dead, and his sisters Martha and Mary, You have come to have dinner with them. They know beyond the shadow of a doubt that You are indeed the Son of God. The living proof Lazarus, is before them. They know You are God and the Son of God. Each of them reflects something of themselves as each demonstrates their immense love for You. Martha is busy bustling around waiting on You and making sure You and the other guests are comfortable and have all that is needed to eat and drink. Lazarus chooses to sit with You as a privileged friend in order to enjoy and relish Your company. Mary decides to offer You her most prized possession - something she has treasured for many years. She has heard You speak of Your coming death and so she wishes to anoint You with this most expensive perfume - spikenard before it is too late and there may not be another opportunity to be in such close proximity with You again. It is common knowledge that Your life is in danger for You have made many enemies.
She breaks the alabaster jar and pours its contents on Your feet - no stingy, miserly measuring out of but a part of the portion - oh no she gives it all and then she uses her hair to wipe Your feet. Its lingering fragrance will call to mind this moment when You were alive and present in her home. Her loving act is totally devoid of self-consciousness, her child-like generosity represents her total gift of self to You. You accept her magnanimous gesture and appreciate whole-heartedly all that she has done prompted by her love for You and her knowledge of who You are.
Judas knows the exact cost of the spikenard down to the last penny. Like many in the world he 'knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." He takes offence at her open-handed largess and cloaks his evil intent in the false garb of a feigned generosity, charity and concern for the poor. Like the naked emperor he fails to realize that God sees through to his lying, wicked, thieving, deceitful, greedy, black and sinful heart. In one line St. John tells us his character. He is a thief.
We are all thieves in one way or another my Beloved when we withhold a kind word, a smile, an act of generosity, the unselfish gift of self to another, we steal what we ought to give freely to another for Your sake. We are quite ready to disguise our foul actions with a veneer of self-righteous indignation but we cannot fool You. The poor are always with us yet how conscious are we of them. They are conveniently remembered or forgotten as it suits our purpose. But You remind Judas and all at the table that they will not have You always.
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