Mary, Martha, and Lazarus recline with Jesus, serve Him and anoint Him. Lazarus is gratefully aware that Jesus had raised him from the dead and wants to share that joy with others as he invites everyone to a banquet in his home to meet Jesus. Mary lavishly shows her love and affection for Jesus by anointing his holy feet with expensive perfumed oil and drying his feet with her hair.
But not Judas. Judas snickers, Judas sneers, Judas mocks. Judas wants to get rid of Jesus.
The Church is to embody the spirit of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary: serving Jesus, bringing people closer to Jesus that they may share with him in the banquet of life, lavishly pouring out our very best, our very selves to honor and love Jesus.
And very often, the world is like Judas Iscariot. Sneering and snickering at the Church, mocking the Church, trying to turn people away from the Church’s lavish worship of the Lord.
But we must not be embarrassed in our lavish worship of Him, we must not hold back from lavishly serving him, and we must not be hesitant in inviting those who hunger for his goodness, his truth, and his beauty, to the table of the Lord.
What seems like an incredible waste of time and money to the world—our service, our worship, our efforts, is an expression of our immense gratitude for what the Lord has done for us, the blessings he bestows upon us, and the immensity of what he suffers for us, which we meditate upon later this week.
Each of us does well today to reflect upon how we can show our gratitude to the Lord, how we can serve the Lord, and how we can bring others to know the Lord, even perhaps to soften the hearts of the Judases of the world, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity.
That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.
For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.
That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.
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