Readings & Reflections: Monday of Holy Week & St. Cresentia Hoess, April 6,2020

Judas thought Mary’s anointing was wasteful, preventing the costly nard from benefitting the poor. In point of fact, it served precisely that purpose: “The house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” Mary’s extravagant love and devotion directed the attention of everyone to Jesus. Did this not enrich them all? For the worst sort of poverty is to be unaware of or unmoved by the Savior’s presence. Mary anointed his feet – she consecrated her life to his mission to “establish justice on earth” and to be “a light for the nations.” Are we willing to “waste” our lives for the love of Jesus? To be embarrassingly attentive to him? Do we believe that hie is worth it?  “There is only one anointing that is strong enough to meet death and that is the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the love of God. There is, then, something that is both exemplary and lasting in Mary’s anointing of Jesus at Bethany. It was above all a concern to keep Christ alive in this world and to oppose the powers that aimed to silence and kill him. It was an act of faith and love. Every such act can have the same effect” (Pope Benedict XVI).

AMDG+

Opening Prayer

“Give us, Lord, a lively faith, a firm hope, a fervent charity, a love of you. Take from us all lukewarmness in meditation, dullness in prayer. Give us fervor and delight in thinking of you and your grace, your tender compassion towards me. The things we pray for, good Lord, give us grace to labor for: through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen.  (Prayer of Sir Thomas More, 16th century)

Reading 1
Is 42:1-7

Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Upon whom I have put my Spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
Not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
A bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
Until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spreads out the earth with its crops,
Who gives breath to its people
and spirit to those who walk on it:
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
When evildoers come at me
to devour my flesh,
My foes and my enemies
themselves stumble and fall.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Gospel
Jn 12:1-11

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.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – Judas Iscariot’s Pretense

“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.”

Have you ever noticed how much of what we believe and try to show as good and righteous are really nothing more than our way of concealing our true preferences, prejudices, a way for us to cover up for our misdeeds? This was the case of Judas Iscariot in today’s gospel reading. He tried to project righteousness and proper stewardship of God’s gifts in order to cover up for the sin that he was about to commit against Jesus.  He tried to deceive people with His righteous attitude which in the end amounted to nothing as he gave his soul a price when he betrayed and traded Jesus for several pieces of silver.

And much the same is true of how our relationships can be, even our   plans, prayers, and promises as they can be pure talk with no substance. Worst of all, we may even fall into the habit of believing our own lies, our very own “press releases”, believing all that falsehood to be truth.

Looking into the purity of our intentions and of our actions is at the heart of what Lent is about. It starts with self-examination and accepting our failures, repenting in word and deed and being true to one’s self, God and neighbor. If we have to call ourselves Christians, we have to address all our relationships with the purest intentions and motivations and we should not hide our shortcomings and sins. We have to draw closer to Jesus, Who is our light and salvation!   We have to make the best use of the goodness that is in us and ask God to re-shape our lives into clearer and better imitations of Jesus.

Direction

We should bring our lives to God so that we may be a light for the nations… to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement and from the dungeon those who live in darkness.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, make me a true instrument in bringing your light and salvation to all your people. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Reflection 2 – Radical love

Mary poured perfume on Jesus feet of a year’s wages for the average farm worker of her day. Love does strange things to people’s priorities. Money meant nothing to Mary when it came to love Jesus.

Loving Jesus is an outrageous act without price. We learn from the Master himself, who came to our world as Love beyond all measure. Jesus publicly took on our punishment by dying a humiliating and disgraceful death; stripped, scourged, and carrying the death tool on his back, all for the sake of love. What Mary did with her expensive perfume was a beautiful act of love for him. What Jesus did for us is beyond our understanding, a radical act rising from the deepest depth of Divine love. Somehow we lose sight of love’s place in the drama of this holy week. We detach ourselves from this passion story. When we feel unloved, alone, rejected, without another soul’s affection it is good to remember that radical act of love.

As we begin Holy Week, it is time for us to look into the face of Jesus. In your mind’s eye, in an artist’s rendering or here on the crucifix in this church stare into his face. What you will see? You will see the eyes of Mary and millions of others who saw in the eyes of a dying Jesus a reason to follow him. You will see someone who loves you. (Source: Jeanne Hunt, Weekday Homily Helps. Ohio: St. Anthony Messenger Press, April 6, 2009).

Reflection 3 – Mary’s example of discipleship

Mary’s action was motivated only by her love for Jesus and her gratitude for God’s mercy. In humility she stooped to anoint Jesus’ feet and to dry them with her hair. Mary in anointing Jesus with precious ointment demonstrates the cost and total commitment of being a disciple of Jesus, that is, our eyes are fix on Jesus, not on the greed of money as Judas demanded from Jesus. This story prefigures Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet and in a way preparing his body for burial, which means, we need to be humble in our service and follow the footstep of Jesus until death.

Let me share to you a story of Composer Giacomo Puccini who wrote a number of famous operas. In 1922 he was suddenly stricken by cancer while working on his last opera, Turandot, which many now consider his best. Puccini said to his students, “If I don’t finish Turandot, I want you to finish it for me.” Shortly afterward he died. Puccini’s students studied Turandot carefully and completed the opera. In 1926 the world premiere was performed in Milan with Puccini’s favorite student, Arturo Toscanini, directing. Everything went beautifully directed until the opera reached the point where Puccini was forced to put down his pen. Tears ran down Toscanini’s face. He stopped the music, put down his baton, turned to the audience and cried out, “Thus for the Master wrote, but he died.” A vast silence filled the opera house. Then Toscanini picked up the baton again, turned to the audience, smiled through his tears, and cried out. “But the disciples finished his work.” When Turandot ended, the audience broke into a thunderous applause.

Similarly Jesus is calling us to continue His mission. To continue Jesus’ mission of announcing and the signing of the coming of the reign of God is to put one’s feet in the footstep of Jesus. Together as Church, we are called to be the instrument of the reign of God in history to announce justice and peace the essential mission of the Church as visible in our time in the midst of oppression, violence, injustice and threat of total destruction.

To continue Jesus’ mission is to work for justice, peace and love in this world of ours. Do we accept this challenge?

Reflection 4 –Extravagant love for Jesus

Do you know the love that knows no bounds? As Jesus dines with his beloved friends, Mary does something which only love can do. She took the most precious thing she had and spent it all on Jesus. Her love was not calculated but extravagant. Mary’s action was motivated by one thing, and one thing only, namely, her love for Jesus and her gratitude for God’s mercy. She did something, however, a Jewish woman would never do in public. She loosed her hair and anointed Jesus with her tears. It was customary for a woman on her wedding day to bound her hair. For a married woman to loosen her hair in public was a sign of grave immodesty. Mary was oblivious to all around her, except for Jesus. She took no thought for what others would think, but what would please her Lord. In humility she stooped to anoint Jesus’ feet and to dry them with her hair. How do you anoint the Lord’s feet and show him your love and gratitude?

Love unbounded and poured out in gratitude
The Gospel of John records that the whole house was filled with the perfume of the ointment (John 12:3). What Mary had done brought sweetness not only in the physical sense, but the spiritual sense as well. Her lovely deed shows the extravagance of love – a love that we cannot outmatch. The Lord Jesus showed us the extravagance of his love in giving the best he had by pouring out his own blood for our sake and by anointing us with his Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul says that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus(Romans 8:39). Do you allow the love of Christ to rule in all your thoughts and intentions, and in all your words and deeds?

The cost to the giver shows the true beauty and goodness of a heart filled with love and gratitude
Why was Judas critical of Mary’s lovely deed? Judas viewed her act as extravagant wastefulness because of greed. A person views things according to what it inside the heart and soul. Judas was an embittered man and had a warped sense of what was precious and valuable, especially to God. Jesus had put Judas in charge of their common purse, no doubt because he was gifted in financial matters. The greatest temptation we can face will often come in the area of our greatest strength or gifting. Judas used money entrusted to him for wrong and hurtful purposes. He allowed greed and personal gain to corrupt his heart and to warp his view of things. He was critical towards Mary because he imputed unworthy motives. Do you examine your heart correctly when you impute wrong or unworthy motives towards others?

“Give us, Lord, a lively faith, a firm hope, a fervent charity, a love of you. Take from us all lukewarmness in meditation, dullness in prayer. Give us fervor and delight in thinking of you and your grace, your tender compassion towards me. The things we pray for, good Lord, give us grace to labor for: through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Prayer of Sir Thomas More, 16th century) –Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2020/apr6.ht m

Reflection 5 – Judas Iscariot

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.”

What a waste! A bottle of costly perfume, worth three hundred days’ wages, is poured on the feet of Jesus. Judas Iscariot was ostensibly scandalized by such a display of reckless extravagance, and he thought the money should have been given to the poor. But the Gospel of John reveals his true motive: he was a thief. In his eyes, the bottle of perfume is worth a lot more than the Lord Himself whom he sold for only thirty pieces of silver – the price of a slave who was killed (Ex 21:32). In the Gospel of Mark, this adverse reaction did not only come from Judas Iscariot but also from some disciples and other onlookers: “There were some who were indignant…They were infuriated with her.” (Mk 14:4).

But in the eyes of the Lord, the action of this woman, whom John identified as Mary of Bethany (Jn 11:2), was praiseworthy. There are at least four things about Mary that made her truly pleasing to God.

In the first place, Mary focused her attention solely on Jesus as Lord. The monetary value of the perfume – and everything else for that matter – is immaterial when it comes to giving glory and honor to the Lord. On the other hand, Judas and the others allow the poor to take their attention away from Jesus.

Secondly, Mary was ready to sacrifice her money and her whole self for the Lord. That is why she did not consider the amount she spent for the perfume. That was the sacrificial offering she thought of. On the contrary, Judas and the others had difficulty letting go of monetary and material concerns due to their greed and materialism.

Third, through her attitude and example, Mary was unconsciously directing people to Jesus. Her total focus on every word He speaks, her selfless generosity, and her readiness to sacrifice for His sake are effectively telling people that Jesus is the Lord and Savior. However, Judas and some followers resented her exemplary display of devotion, most likely out of envy and hypocrisy.

Finally, although unaware, Mary was part of the divine salvific plan. At that time, it was customary to anoint dead bodies in preparation for burial. After taking down the body of Jesus from the cross, there was no time to anoint it because of the onset of the Sabbath. And when the women went to the tomb for the anointing, the body was not anymore there for He has already resurrected. By anointing His feet, Mary unwittingly foreshadowed the death and burial of Jesus. That is why the Lord sternly reprimanded her detractors: “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial” (Jn 12:7). In the Gospel of Mark the words are, “She has done what she could. She has anticipated anointing my body for burial” (Mk 14:8). Clearly, then, this action of Mary was in accord with the divine plan.

The example of Mary reflects her willful and complete obedience to the first commandment: “Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength” (Deut 6:5). It may be recalled that on one occasion when Jesus and His disciples were in their home, her sister, Martha, was busy with the concerns of hospitality and had no time to listen to His words. When she complained that Mary was not helping her, Jesus told her: “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her” (Lk 10:42). The “better part” is listening to the words of Jesus.

In the same token, this is precisely what the Lord meant when he said, “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” Serving the poor is undoubtedly commendable. But it cannot be more important than the Lord. In fact, when asked about what is the greatest commandment, Jesus said that loving God is the first, and loving our neighbor comes second. We attend to the needs of the poor precisely because we love God first and foremost. The poor cannot be truly loved except in God and in Jesus. Only those who truly love God are able to truly love the poor and the needy. And love of God is proven true only when there is genuine love of neighbor.

We serve the poor because we see the Lord in them: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40). We have to always remind ourselves that we are not only social workers or philanthropists; we are, above all, Christians. The Gospel of Christ is not only for social amelioration, but for eternal salvation.

This Holy Week, may the Lord give us the grace to set our priorities and values right. This, then, will clarify the direction of our life towards the eternal salvation He gained for us by His death on the Cross. (Source: Fr. Mike Lagrimas, St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Amsterdam St., Capitol Park Homes, Matandang Balara, Quezon City 1119).

Reflection 6 – God appreciates your sacrifices

On Jesus’ calendar when today’s Gospel passage took place, it’s one week before the most difficult day of his life. He knows what’s ahead; he’s been dropping not-so-subtle hints to his disciples. So how could he sit there so peacefully at the dinner party?

“You always have the poor with you” (John 12:8).

A student once asked the great German theologian Karl Rahner “What books should I read to strengthen my faith?” Rahner replied, “No books. Instead go out and help the needy people in your community.”

Our Lord told us that we will always have the poor with us. Thank God. Oh, it is no comfort being poor and we must do our best to alleviate this injustice. Yet, I still say Thank God. This allows is to see the world as God sees it. God has a special place in His heart for the poor. When we care and love them, we become Godlike. We learn to have a heart like God. No book can teach that. Wen the opportunity presents itself, help the poor. In doing so, you will find God. That’s not a bad trade-off.

“Father of the poor, I want to grow in faith. I want to experience you firsthand. Let me share in that gift by sharing with the less fortunate. I pray in the name of Jesus, who was born, lived and died poor. Amen.” (Thomas Connery, Lenten Light, Reflections and Prayers).

Please follow Romeo Hontiveros at Twitter click this link: https://twitter.com/Trumpeta

Reflection 9 – St. Crescentia Hoess (1682-1744 A.D.)

Crescentia was born in 1682 in a little town near Augsburg, the daughter of a poor weaver. She spent play time praying in the parish church, assisted those even poorer than herself and had so mastered the truths of her religion that she was permitted to make her holy Communion at the then unusually early age of seven. In the town she was called “the little angel.”

As she grew older she desired to enter the convent of the Tertiaries of St. Francis. But the convent was poor and, because Crescentia had no dowry, the superiors refused her admission. Her case was then pleaded by the Protestant mayor of the town to whom the convent owed a favor. The community felt it was forced into receiving her, and her new life was made miserable. She was considered a burden and assigned nothing other than menial tasks. Even her cheerful spirit was misinterpreted as flattery or hypocrisy.

Conditions improved four years later when a new superior was elected who realized her virtue. Crescentia herself was appointed mistress of novices. She so won the love and respect of the sisters that, upon the death of the superior, Crescentia herself was unanimously elected to that position. Under her the financial state of the convent improved and her reputation in spiritual matters spread. She was soon being consulted by princes and princesses as well as by bishops and cardinals seeking her advice. And yet, a true daughter of Francis, she remained ever humble.

Bodily afflictions and pain were always with her. First it was headaches and toothaches. Then she lost the ability to walk, her hands and feet gradually becoming so crippled that her body curled up into a fetal position. In the spirit of Francis she cried out, “Oh, you bodily members, praise God that he has given you the capacity to suffer.” Despite her sufferings she was filled with peace and joy as she died on Easter Sunday in 1744.

She was beatified in 1900 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2001.

Comment:

Although she grew up in poverty and willingly embraced it in her vocation, Crescentia had a good head for business. Under her able administration, her convent regained financial stability. Too often we think of good money management as, at best, a less-than-holy gift. But Crescentia was wise enough to balance her worldly skills with such acumen in spiritual matters that heads of State and Church both sought her advice.

Read the source:   http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1345

SAINT OF THE DAY
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God’s invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint. Click here to receive Saint of the Day in your email.