MARY OF BETHANY ANOINTS THE FEET OF JESUS.
"Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
"They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
"Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
"Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions.
"So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
"The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
"And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him." (John 12: 1 - 11).
Monday 25th March 2024, Monday of Holy Week.
In six days, it will be the Passover. Jesus visited the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, His very good friends. Perhaps to enjoy one last good meal and wine in Martha's Vineyard before His Passion. The star of the story today is not the matriarch, Martha whose hospitality is proverbial nor their apparently recluse brother, Lazarus.
The star is Mary who performed an outlandish gesture to demonstrate her love for Jesus.
She broke a vial of what may be considered the very top line of precious and exquisite perfume and poured the oozing aromatic liquid on the feet of Jesus and wiped the feet with her long hairs.
While some guests like Apostle Judas criticized this apparent waste, Jesus was very pleased and spoke up for Mary.
Who is Mary? Mary is the sister of Martha and Lazarus. They hail from the village of Bethany a couple of miles from Jerusalem. We want to focus here not on Mary of Bethany per se but on Mary, a type of the female passionate follower of Jesus who is marked by the following characteristics:
#1 Absolute and radical commitment.
#2 Total self-giving.
#3 Deep consecration (set apart) to Jesus and His cause.
Consider the following female saints who fit this profile:
Mary of Nazareth, the Mother of the Son.
Mary Magdalene, the Apostle to the Apostles.
Margaret Mary, the Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Mary Faustina, the Apostle of Divine Mercy.
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