Monday, March 21, 2016

Homily: Monday of Holy Week 2016 - The jar of precious oil

What a beautiful, intimate, tender, moment, we’ve just heard described on this Monday of the Holiest Week of the year, when Mary anoints the feet of Jesus, and washes them with her hair.

We had met Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, previously in the Gospel.  She sat at the feet of Jesus, listening, contemplating his face.  When Martha complained that Mary wasn’t helping with the household tasks, Jesus said, that it was Mary who had chosen the better thing. “Few things are needed in life,” Jesus said, “and really only one thing.” To sit at the feet of Jesus, to learn from him, and to love him, is the one thing necessary in this life. 

When we come to the judgment of our life, it will not matter how much many we made, the size of our house, the number of friends we’ve had, the number of trophies and awards.  The only thing that will matter is: did we do the one necessary thing that Mary did, did we learn from Jesus and love him.

I was talking to the third graders last week about the events of Holy Week, and we talked about the scene from our Gospel today. “Why did Mary take a jar of perfumed oil that cost thirty thousand dollars in today’s money and pour it all out and wash Jesus’ feet with it?” I asked the third graders.  And one of the children raised their hand and gave the perfect answer: “Because he is God.”


During this Holy Week, our love and affection for Jesus should fill the room like the fragrance of ointment.  It should be detectable by those we meet. Time spent contemplating the face of the Lord, this Week, meditating upon his love for us, his suffering, his humility, his patience, his unutterable beauty and glory should change us.  This is our task this week, the one thing necessary: to give Jesus the best we have in adoring Him, in contemplating Him, in following Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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