Every day of Lent, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Mary, the sister of Lazarus, did a good deed for Jesus out of love for him. She anointed his feet with perfumed oil to give him comfort. We read that the “house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.”
Some Christian thinkers have used this passage to reflect on the reality that Christian disciples, like Mary, are called to fill the world with the fragrance of their good deeds done out of our love of Jesus.
Judas said that Mary was being way too generous. He feigned distress that the money spent on the oil could have been used for the poor. But Judas was more concerned that he was being denied the money that would have come to him from the sale of the oil. He held the purse of the apostles’ money and was known to sometimes skim off the top for his own needs. He was the opposite of Mary – Judas wanted to take; Mary wanted to give. The Gospel said it plainly, “(Judas) was a thief.” He would soon sell the life of Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
As we move through this Holy Week, remember that we serve Christ in our love for each other. We must seek to give to God more than to receive from others.
May we be as generous with our love of Jesus as Mary was when she generously anointed him with her costly oil. May we fill the house with the fragrance of our worship of God and the comfort given by the good works we do for others out of love for Jesus.