20160321 ENTERING INTO THE PASSION OF OUR LORD THROUGH
UNDERSTANDING AND LOVE IN ACTION
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Isaiah 42:1-7 ©
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Here is my servant
whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom
my soul delights.
I have endowed him
with my spirit
that he may bring
true justice to the nations.
He does not cry out
or shout aloud,
or make his voice
heard in the streets.
He does not break the
crushed reed,
nor quench the
wavering flame.
Faithfully he brings
true justice;
he will neither
waver, nor be crushed
until true justice is
established on earth,
for the islands are
awaiting his law.
Thus says God, the
Lord,
he who created the
heavens and spread them out,
who gave shape to the
earth and what comes from it,
who gave breath to
its people
and life to the
creatures that move in it:
‘I, the Lord, have
called you to serve the cause of right;
I have taken you by
the hand and formed you;
I have appointed you
as covenant of the people and light of the nations,
‘to open the eyes of
the blind,
to free captives from
prison,
and those who live in
darkness from the dungeon.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
26:1-3,13-14 ©
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The Lord is my
light and my help.
The Lord is my light
and my help;
whom
shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold
of my life;
before
whom shall I shrink?
The Lord is my
light and my help.
When evil-doers draw
near
to devour
my flesh,
it is they, my
enemies and foes,
who
stumble and fall.
The Lord is my
light and my help.
Though an army encamp
against me
my heart
would not fear.
Though war break out
against me
even then
would I trust.
The Lord is my
light and my help.
I am sure I shall see
the Lord’s goodness
in the
land of the living.
Hope in him, hold
firm and take heart.
Hope in
the Lord!
The Lord is my
light and my help.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Praise and honour to
you, Lord Jesus!
Hail to you, our
King!
You alone have had
compassion on our sins.
Praise and honour to
you, Lord Jesus!
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Gospel
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John 12:1-11 ©
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Six days before the
Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the
dead. They gave a dinner for him there; Martha waited on them and Lazarus was
among those at table. Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure
nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the
house was full of the scent of the ointment. Then Judas Iscariot – one of
his disciples, the man who was to betray him – said, ‘Why wasn’t this
ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor?’ He
said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he
was in charge of the common fund and used to help himself to the contributions.
So Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone; she had to keep this scent for the day of my
burial. You have the poor with you always, you will not always have me.’
Meanwhile
a large number of Jews heard that he was there and came not only on account of
Jesus but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. Then the chief
priests decided to kill Lazarus as well, since it was on his account that many
of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.
ENTERING
INTO THE PASSION OF OUR LORD THROUGH UNDERSTANDING AND LOVE IN ACTION
As we
enter into Holy Week, the Church invites us to contemplate more deeply on
the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. For this reason, Holy Week
begins with the celebration of Palm Sunday, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem to face
His death. At the same time, the reading of the passion prepares us for
what is ahead for Christ. It therefore calls for a deeper reflection of
His passion for us. How can this be done?
Firstly,
we must deepen our understanding of His passion through knowledge.
In the first reading, we are told that Jesus, who is the suffering servant,
brings justice to the nations by gently inviting us to reflect on our own
lives. As the light of the nations, “he does not cry out or shout aloud,
or make his voice heard in the streets. He does not break the crushed reed, nor
quench the wavering flame.”
But
more importantly, the understanding of His passion cannot stop at mere
intellectual appreciation. We must feel with Jesus in our
hearts, for that is what common passion is all about. Instead of words
alone, Jesus acted decisively through deeds of love and works of wonders, for
as God said, “I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the
nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison, and those
who live in darkness from the dungeon.” Indeed, Jesus was able to show
that God is our light and our salvation not only through His words, but also by
His actions and miracles. And as the psalmist wonderfully declared, “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. Though an army
encamps against me, my heart will not fear; though war be waged upon me, even
then will I trust.”
This is
what Mary in the gospel teaches us as well. She loved Jesus so
passionately that she even anointed His feet with expensive ointment and wiped
them with her hair shamelessly. Mary understood the true meaning of
hospitality and making space for God in prayer. In the earlier
episode when Jesus visited her, she gave full attention to Jesus by listening
to Him instead of being distracted by doing things for Him. On this
occasion she knew, unlike her elder sister, that faith and love in action was
also necessary. She anointed the body of Jesus for burial, and most of
all, worshipped Him as the Christ by washing His feet and wiping them with her
hair. Not only did she love Jesus, but she also recognized Him and
worshipped Him.
Of
course, Judas could not understand because his love for Jesus was not from
the heart but from the head. Indeed, without love, we tend to think
and reason only from the head. Logically, what Judas said about saving
the money for the poor was not wrong. Yet, love goes beyond mere logic
alone. Jesus understood this truth when He said, “’Leave her alone;
she had to keep this scent for the day of my burial. You have the poor with you
always, you will not always have me.’” So too the Jewish leaders as
well! They were too full of hatred and jealousy to see the good works
that Jesus did. Ironically, the evangelist says that “the chief priests
decided to kill Lazarus as well, since it was on his account that many of the
Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.”
When
we love someone we do not think in terms of logic, and definitely not in terms
of money. Love
does not count the cost. That is why parents would do anything for their
children, even if they have to sell their assets or borrow money for their
sake. When we love, we will do anything and everything within our
capacity for our loved ones. When love is lacking, then we tend to act on
the rational level and become calculative. True love is never
calculative.
Today,
let us follow Mary and Martha in preparing for the passion of Christ.
Let us wait on Jesus as Martha did, in serving Him through good works and
sacrifices. But more importantly, let us follow the path of Mary who
shared the passion of Jesus by being one with Him in His moment of anxiety and
aloneness in His sufferings. Through our common passion with Jesus in
prayer and in love, we will be able to appreciate His love for us even more.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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