Daily Reflection for Monday, April 11, 2022
Peace and Blessings, Friends, and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Monday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/041122.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-7
Responsorial: Psalm 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14
Gospel: John 12:1-11
Our reflection on Monday’s readings:
“You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” John 12:8
What is really going on with Jesus and his friends in today’s Gospel reading?
It appears that Jesus is enjoying some relaxing time and a meal with his dear friends, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. I imagine this reunion was especially moving for them considering that Lazarus was dead but was now alive again. There must have been a sense of joy and thankfulness in their gathering. Martha, no doubt, was happy preparing and serving food for her loved ones. I’m a Martha, and I can tell you there is nothing better than a room full of dear friends and loved ones I can serve. It’s my happy place.
Love among these friends was certainly evidenced by Mary’s anointing Jesus with perfumed oil. How soothing that oil must have felt on Jesus’ feet which were probably dry and cracked from walking miles on dusty roads. It feels good to be cared for in such a way.
I imagine that room, for Jesus, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, was a peaceful, loving cocoon away from the crowds. Until . . . Judas says, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?”
On the surface, Judas’s statement sounds like it’s in line with Jesus’ teachings about caring for the poor. There’s no arguing with his words. The question of Judas on its own was not good or bad. It was the intent or implication behind the words which determines if it was jab at someone or a misleading message.
In today’s world, we hear a lot of statements that are meant as trickery. On the surface they sound good, but underneath there is a hidden message. The words might be righteous, but they ring hollow, and it doesn’t feel right. When the words and intent don’t fit, often we’re left a bit confused without a good response.
How does Jesus’s answer Judas’ double-edged question? He cuts to the heart and truth of the matter saying, “You will always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
Jesus’ time on earth was coming to a close. The moments to be together were to be cherished.
And . . . We will always have the poor with us. We will always have a Christian responsibility to care for them.
Blessings to you,
Ruth Mytty