Holy Week 2026 - Monday - Jesus God worthy of our lavish love

 I was talking with a group of third graders about the events of Holy Week, and we discussed 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.”

It is not surprising that we find this story in the Gospel of John—which so often—emphasizes Jesus’ divinity. He is the Word Made Flesh. Throughout the Gospel Jesus ascribes to himself the divine name “I Am”; he possesses divine attributes—glory and grace and truth, having life in himself; he performs divine works: the miracles, especially raising the dead; he claims to be able to do what only God can do granting eternal life to whomever he wills, exercising divine judgment. And showing himself to be worthy of faith and divine honor: “you have faith in God, have faith also in me”. Thomas after Jesus’ resurrection exclaims “my Lord and my God”.

It is important for us, at the beginning of Holy Week, to recall that Jesus is God, a fact that Judas, and the chief priests, and all those who called for his crucifixion, failed to believe. Otherwise we misunderstand the events of this week. If Jesus were merely a good man, then His Passion would be tragic, moving, even inspiring—but no more than that. It would be the sad story of a righteous man who was rejected and killed. 

But because Jesus is truly God, His suffering and death have saving power. His Cross is not simply an example of courage; it is the altar of our redemption. His blood is not merely the blood of a martyr; it is the blood of the Son of God poured out for the salvation of the world.

Jesus’ suffering and death is the great account of God’s love—divine mercy freely poured out

Jesus is God come to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, and because Jesus is God, He is worthy of the extravagant love Mary shows Him in today’s Gospel. Her anointing is not excessive. Love is never wasted when it is given to God. He is worthy of all praise, honor, glory, and thanksgiving. 

May our faith, hope, and love for Jesus be lavish this week. May we give Jesus the best we have in adoring Him, in contemplating Him, recognizing that He is God come to save us out of love for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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As we enter into this most sacred week, let us lift up our hearts in prayer, offering God our love and trust as Mary of Bethany once did, with confidence that He hears and answers.

For the Church throughout the world: that she may be filled with the fragrance of holiness, drawing all people to the love and mercy of Christ during this Holy Week. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all bishops, priests, and deacons: that in their preaching, celebrating the sacraments, and personal prayer, they may pour out their lives in love for Christ and His people. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those preparing to enter the Church at Easter: that this Holy Week may deepen their love for Christ and strengthen their desire to follow Him faithfully. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all Christians: that like Mary of Bethany, we may spend time this week contemplating Jesus—adoring Him, listening to His word, and offering Him our very best. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who have fallen away from the Church: that the witness of Christian love—visible and fragrant in our lives—may draw them back to seek the Lord who gave His life for them. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the poor, the lonely, and all who suffer: that through the compassion and generosity of others, they may know the tender love of Christ poured out for them. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead: that having sought the face of Christ in this life, they may now behold Him in eternal glory. Let us pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, receive our prayers and pour out your grace upon us. May we offer the best of ourselves in love and adoration, that our lives may bear witness to your glory. Through Christ our Lord.

July 29 2024 - Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus - Sibling Saints

 

We honor today three sibling saints who honored and served the Lord during his earthly ministry. In the household of Bethany, the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Martha generously offered him hospitality, Mary listened attentively to his words and Lazarus, who promptly emerged from the tomb at the Jesus’ command, no doubt offered gratitude and friendship during Jesus’ later stay at Bethany.

These three saints offer several lessons in growing in sanctity. Like St. Martha, we are to serve others in practical ways, including generous hospitality. Like St. Mary, we are to listen attentively to the Lord, pondering his words, taking them to heart, spending time in his presence, particularly in Eucharistic adoration. And like St. Lazarus, we are to obey the Lord to come out of our metaphorical tombs and live in a state of gratitude.

St. Martha is a patron saints of homemakers and domestic workers. St. Lazarus is the patron of gravediggers. And St. Mary of Bethany, a model of listening to the Lord, is patron of spiritual studies.

In the Gospels, Jesus himself foretold a time when families and households would be divided over him. “From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. Father against son . …daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law” and so on. 

So many families in our modern-day experience division due to rejecting Jesus and his teachings. So we do well to, invoke Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus for our divided families. For these sibling saints show us that family unity is possible when there is mutual love and faith in Jesus. 

These sibling saints, enjoyed a real, personal, and human friendship with Jesus. In so many ways, this is exactly what Jesus wants with each of us. He wants us to know the sound of his voice, to spend time with Him, converse with Him, and trust Him in good times and bad. His light fills our lives when we draw close to him in prayer, service, and trust.

We grow in friendship with the Lord by inviting Him into the home of your souls every day and throughout the day. May these three sibling saints help us to deepen our Love for the Lord for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church, that like Martha, we may serve others generously and offer hospitality to those in need. Lord, hear our prayer.

For all who seek truth, that like Mary, we may listen attentively to God's word and spend time in His presence. Lord, hear our prayer.

For those struggling with doubt or despair, that like Lazarus, we may respond to Christ's call to come out of our tombs and live lives of gratitude. Lord, hear our prayer.

For families divided by disagreements over faith, that through the intercession of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, they may find unity in Christ's love. Lord, hear our prayer.

For all of us, that we may cultivate a deep and personal friendship with Jesus, inviting Him into our hearts and homes each day. Lord, hear our prayer.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of human trafficking, natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for the unborn, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Loving Father, we thank you for the example of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, who showed us different ways to love and serve your Son. Grant us what we need to know the benefit of their heavenly intercession and follow their holy example. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Holy Week 2024 - Monday - Holy Feet of Jesus

 Throughout Lent, here at St. Ignatius we have been utilizing the Stations of the Cross of St. Alphonsus Ligouri. Several times in the course of the Stations, St. Alphonsus draws our attention to the Holy Feet of Jesus. In the 11th Station, the saint describes how they nailed Jesus’ hands and feet to the cross, and in the 12th stations the Saint prays, “By the merits of Your death, give me the grace to die embracing Your feet.” 

These prayers remind me of how on Good Friday, we come up and venerate the cross, and if it is a crucifix, many people choose to kiss the feet of Jesus. And I always find that to be such a beautiful gesture.

There is in fact a Novena of unknown origin called the “Novena in Honor of the Holy Feet of Jesus”. The Novena begins considering how Mary and Joseph must have adored the Infant Feet of Jesus, and how the Holy Feet of Jesus carried the Good News to the poor. It contains scriptural references like how Jairus falls at the Holy Feet of Jesus to make his request, Mary sits at the Holy Feet of Jesus listening to him, and the Holy Feet of Jesus are nailed to the cross.

The Samaritan Leper who was cleansed returns to Jesus and falls facedown at Jesus’ feet in thanksgiving. At the empty tomb, an angel sits where Jesus’ feet had been. And St. Paul scribes how God has put all things under the Holy Feet of the Victorious Christ.

During Holy Week, we do well to consider his Holy Feet. These feet, which once walked on water and brought healing to the sick, are bruised and bloodied by the weight of the cross and the cruelty of the soldiers. The Lord allows his Holy Feet to be nailed to the cross out of love for us, and precious blood to spill to the earth from the wounds made by the nails.

But prior to the blood and suffering, in today’s Gospel, we stoop down with Mary of Bethany who anoints the Holy Feet of Jesus as an act of love. Mary’s act of love calls us to be lavish in showing great love in gratitude for all we have been given and forgiven. We consider what this act of anointing entailed—how she considered where those feet had tread, and where they would go in the coming days—his feet which recalled his journey thus far—the many miles he walked throughout his ministry. The feet which walked on water as a sign of his divinity. And the feet which would be pierced in sacrifice out of love. They are feet about which the very first book of the bible prophecies, when God in the Garden tells the serpent that he will strike at the heel of the woman’s offspring, but he will fatally crush the serpent’s head. 

As we walk with Jesus this Holy Week, may we never lose sight of his Holy Feet. May we adore them, kiss them, and allow the precious blood that flows from them to wash over us, cleansing us of our sins and drawing us deeper into the Holy Life of God, for the glory of God and the 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.

Holy Week 2023 - Monday - Judas and Mary of Bethany

Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve apostles.  Yet, never has the liturgical calendar given a date for his feast day; no people in the entire world claim him as their patron.  Artists in the early Christian centuries would often deliberately obscure Judas to avoid honoring him with the other eleven apostles. 

We almost don’t even like to say his name.  Yes, each of the apostles was burdened with human weakness, but they eventually came to accept the grace of God and became great evangelizers and martyrs for the faith.  But not Judas.

We heard in Matthew’s Passion, that after betraying the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas returned to the chief priests and tried to return the 30 pieces of silver, admitting, “"I have sinned in betraying innocent blood." But then, he went on to hang himself. Even though the poet Dante Alighieri put Judas in the very depths of hell for his betrayal, we do not know Judas’ eternal situation. But his final act seems to indicate a heart which has selfishly rejected the necessity of repentance and belief in Jesus as Savior-Messiah and Son of God.

Today, we heard of Judas’ avarice:  in the house of Bethany, he objected when oil was used to anoint the feet of Jesus, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and used to steal from the contributions.  

Recall, an earlier Gospel story about the house of Mary and Martha.  Jesus praises Mary for sitting at his feet and listening to Him.  He commends Mary even over her sister Martha who was busy with housework, perhaps even getting the meal ready that they would later share. 

Now Judas too fails to enter into the intimate moment of compassion for what the Lord is about to suffering. Judas’ heart is filled with greed.  His avarice keeps him from the present reality. The heart of the greedy have a difficult time even grasping the concept of generosity. If he could not grasp Mary’s generosity, he could likely not grasp why the Lord would willingly and generously undertake his passion.

Mary and Judas provide an important dichotomy at the beginning of Holy Week.  Again, Mary has chosen the better portion.  She pours out a year’s salary to anoint and adore Christ.  Judas’ heart was far from Christ.  He viewed the events of Holy Week with selfish, self-concerned eyes. Mary gives, while Judas takes, and keeps things from Jesus.  Mary pours out, while Judas betrays.  

Let us, of course, follow Mary’s example, gladly pouring out the best we have in order to adore Christ and repent from our greed which has kept us from loving Christ.  This is a week for intensifying our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, that, as Christ’s blood is poured out for the world on Calvary, may we be poured out with him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

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.

Holy Week 2022 - Monday - Love for Christ and Love for the Poor

 From time to time, you come across a critic of the Church who claims that the grandeur of our church buildings, our precious vessels and vestments, our art, are all a slap in the face to the poor and hungry. The critic claims that instead of spending money on art and architecture, the money should be given to the starving and homeless.

The critic usually ignores the fact that already the Catholic Church does more to aid the poor than any other private organization in the world, that many religious brothers, sisters, and priests take a vow of poverty and renounce everything for God, and that countless Catholic families and individuals do sacrifice much of their income for the needs of the downtrodden.

In the attitude of such a critic, one often detects a bit of the attitude of Judas in the Gospel today. When Mary of Bethany anoints Jesus with the precious anointment, Judas calls it a waste. Let’s ignore, for a second the fact, that Judas was a thief, and was stealing money from the community purse, and that he justified theft in order to satiate his greed. Judas sneers at Mary’s devotion, her act of love, because Judas was loveless toward Jesus. He derides the act homage as a waste of time and money because he does not actually know how to give of himself. He hides his selfishness behind this fake concern.

To the world, our observances of holy week, our acts of devotion during these High Holy Days of our faith, are a waste of time and money. Why buy easter lilies that will wither and rot? Why use precious incense and vestments? Why waste time and effort in processions, venerations, silent prayer and fasting? For the same purpose we build grand churches, because we love Christ. 

Our love for Christ does not diminish our love and care for the poor and downtrodden. As true love for Christ increases, love for others increases. For we are to seek to serve Him in the poor. You can’t love God and hate your brother.

Our service, our worship, our art and architecture, our holy week devotions, are all expressions of our immense gratitude for what the Lord has done for us, the immensity of what he suffered for us, the blessings he has bestowed upon us.

So the snarky critic of the Church’s lavish worship of Christ, needs to look at the whole—the whole life of the Church—how our lavish love for Christ actually fuels our other charitable endeavors. 

So we must not be embarrassed to express our lavish devotion in concrete ways, especially during holy week. Yes, there might be some Judas’ out there who will mock and deride us. But there are also those on the fringes who will be converted when they witness our devotions, hard hearts that will be softened when they see our love for him, who goes to the cross for us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

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.