Yesterday was the historic election of the first South American pope. Pope Francis I is the first Jesuit ever elected. As the day wore on we learned more about him. As a Jesuit he took a vow of poverty and upon becoming a Cardinal, he refused to live in the mansion provided for him as he did the limousine, choosing instead to take the bus to work and to live in a small apartment where he was able to fix his own meals. One media outlet called him, "A voice of the poor." The greatest voice of the poor was Jesus Christ, who in this passage makes reference to them. His sermons and teachings make reference to the special place the poor hold in God's heart. In this passage, we learn of the symbolic preparation for his burial that takes place in a meal hosted in His honor by Lazarus and his sisters. It must have been quite an occasion as Jesus had recently raised Lazarus from the dead. These sisters were the same who had hosted Jesus before and one of them wanted Jesus to talk to the other one because she was not concerned with the household tasks. It is Martha who then, and now, was concerned with serving. Mary took a more personal interest in Jesus' teaching and message, and in this story it is Mary who has taken a pound of very expensive perfumed oils and used it to anoint Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair. It is Judas Iscariot who is annoyed by this and he makes the comment, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred silver coins and the money used to help the poor?" And the writer is sure to note in parenthesis that Judas did not care for the poor and was indeed a thief who served as treasurer of the disciples and embezzled money. Jesus' response is that Mary was taking part in a symbolic preparation of His burial, then the statement, "You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."
Jesus is not neglecting the care of the poor but rather is drawing attention to the uniqueness of the moment, a royal death is about to hit them, and she, Mary, is a special part of that touching moment. One commentary says that with her action, Mary showed that we can love both Jesus and the poor by what she modeled. In Matthew 25 as Jesus teaches about what is expected of us, He spoke of clothing the naked, quenching the thirsty, feeding the hungry, visiting the prisoner and the sick; looking beyond ourselves to the needs of others. And He's doing it in a special setting. We don't suspect that Lazarus and his sisters were rich. They were probably common folks like their neighbors. But one thing set them apart; illness and death related to that illness visited their home. They paid for a funeral and then had the unexpected joy of seeing resurrection occur in their family. They knew that even if Jesus was to die, it would not be for long, but still they, especially Mary, wanted to be a part of the preparation for that funeral that was yet to come. This family was rich, though poor; rich in faith, rich in love, rich in service and care for others; rich in hope that death is not the end.
Our Lenten journey is nearing closure. Our faith should be deeper than when we first started. Our joy at the sunrise of Resurrection Sunday should be deep and profound, as should our awareness of the needs and concerns of our neighbors.
PRAYER: Blessed Lord, for these days in which we have journeyed with You, prepare us as Mary prepared You, to understand the profound passion You experienced, so that when Easter Sunday comes, we will be among the first to joyfully say, "He is risen! He is risen indeed!" May it be so; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
