20220411 THE COST OF LOVE
11 April, 2022, Monday of Holy Week
First reading | Isaiah 42:1-7 © |
Here is my chosen one in whom my soul delights
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.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 26(27):1-3,13-14 © |
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.
Gospel Acclamation |
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!
Gospel | John 12:1-11 © |
'She had to keep this scent for the day of my burial'
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.
THE COST OF LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [IS 42:1-7; JN 12:1-11]
“Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor?” That seems to be a reasonable and logical criticism of what Mary did when she “brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus.” How many of us would agree with Judas that it was a waste of money? Furthermore, when you think of the many poor and suffering people in the world, it would seem that Mary had committed a great sin of wastefulness. If we go by this reasoning, then perhaps all the Churches’ treasures should be sold and given to the poor. All the expensive and fine vestments, sacred vessels, including the chalice, should be made of wood or metal. Then all churches should be built with the basic practical needs, without any frills or concern for aesthetics. Then again, if the Lord were to dwell in such a temple, so too, all our homes must be stripped of all unnecessary items. And we should save the money spent on expensive wedding gowns, which are used once only and then set aside, and not hold any grand dinners too because most of the time, much food is thrown away, especially at buffets! Such reasoning can go on and on. We will have divided opinions and never come to any consensus.
What was the response of Jesus? “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.” Indeed, we are all obliged to help the poor and the suffering. But we need to see things in perspective. Some things cannot be measured by money and time. Actions of love cannot be quantified or calculated like a mathematical problem. True love does not count the cost because it is not logical. Daily life examples should convince us. There are many mothers who are professionals and busy career women. Yet they would wake up early in the morning to prepare breakfast for their children rather than let the domestic helper do it. Why? Because they love their children and want them to have a proper breakfast and also to pack for them a healthy and sumptuous lunch. For the same reason, they would rush home from work to pick up their children or chauffeur them to school and for their activities. Some of them are old enough to take public transport on their own. Yet they do it because they love their children and cannot bear to see them suffer the inconvenience. Logically, it is also economical for them to go home on their own than to waste the precious time of their parents. Furthermore, it is good for discipline and formation as well, lest they become too demanding and take their comforts for granted.
The truth is that when we love, we do not act rationally but we allow the heart to express itself spontaneously. We do not really think of the trouble and inconvenience when we reach out to someone we love. The immediate and spontaneous response is to make our beloved feel loved and comfortable. We do not count the cost because the heart only knows that love is all that matters. We are always lavish and generous with people we love. We cannot say ‘No’ to our loved ones even though we know at times that it is not good to pamper them. But love is such.
Conversely, if we act and think like Judas, it is because we are not sincere in love. Judas had no real love for Jesus. He was more concerned about his interest than that of Jesus’, and lesser still for the poor. The evangelist commented, “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.” Clearly, such objections do not hold water for those who harbour selfish motives. We must therefore ask ourselves when speaking against such extravagance; whether it is because our pockets are hurt. Of course, not all are motivated by selfishness when they speak out against such apparent extravagance.
When we take a logical and financial stance, it is more likely because we are detached from the person concerned. In other words, when we have no personal relationship, that person becomes just a case, and we use pure objectivity in assessing our response to the needs of the person. In public decisions affecting the interests of everyone, as in an organization or society, we need to be transparent, objective and impartial in making decisions, without fear or favour. This is to ensure that justice and fair play prevail. We cannot allow our emotional ties or vested interests to influence us in the way we make decisions. When we are not emotionally related to a person, we can of course think and act logically.
But when we are speaking about love and relationship, it is a different ball game. Does a judge in the court behave like a judge at home, analysing the needs of the family according to pure logic alone? Does not a judge also have compassion for his or her son even if he commits a crime? Surely, he or she will get the best lawyer to defend him. This is not to say that he or she will hide the guilt, but he or she will find the best defence so that the son would not be punished too harshly. So often, we have those in authority protecting their loved ones by covering up for their mistakes.
So with our loved ones, we use the heart rather than the head. This is inevitable! Isn’t that the way God acts? Because He loves us, His way of rendering justice to sinners and evil people is to forgive us and to save us; not to punish us! As our loving Father, He has no heart to punish us because it grieves Him as much to see us suffer. When God saw the world in sin, during the time of Noah, He grieved. “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” (Gn 6:5f)
So like God, we love and care for our loved ones in this manner. Whether your darling is your spouse, friend or even a dog or cat, you act in the same manner. When your dog is old and sickly, why do you spend so much money bringing it to the vet? Isn’t it better to let the dog die and get a new one, which is much cheaper? But you cannot buy emotional ties and happy memories. You cannot buy love and affection. There is no price for that! This explains why animal lovers would do anything for stray animals, cats, dogs, birds, etc. They would tend to them especially when they are sick or wounded and feed them when they are hungry. They feel for and with the hurting and hungry animals. When we see them scavenging for food, we feel sorry for them.
So the reality is that we do not feel for what we do not see. If we do not see something with our own eyes, we are not emotionally moved. When we do not see them hungry and without shelter, we think such stray animals are a nuisance. St Teresa of Calcutta started to reach out to the poorest of the poor only because she came into contact with the suffering in India. To see them suffering grieved her heart like God who grieves for us. When you see someone on the road, thin to the bones, won’t you be moved by the sufferings of your fellowman? Unless you have hardened your heart like Judas, you will stretch out to help. The priests had no compassion for Lazarus and even wanted to kill him because “it was on his account that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.” What if Lazarus was one of their children, or their loved one? Would they see Jesus differently? Of course! They would be grateful to Jesus. But because of selfish interests, they saw Jesus and even Lazarus as a threat to their status quo and greed.
Jesus is our exemplar in love. He is the model of the suffering servant, giving without reservation, as expressed in the first reading. He was endowed with the Spirit of God to bring justice, hope, healing, enlightenment, and freedom to the poor, the discouraged, the sick, the prisoners and those who live in darkness. We too must follow Jesus in the way of love. Let us use our heart to love and not our head so that we can feel the heart of God.
In the final analysis, to love the way Jesus loved, and how God loves us, we need His Spirit to “bring true justice to the nations.” The strength and capacity of His love came from His Father. He was full of compassion even towards His enemies. His sense of justice and passion for His mission came from the Father’s love in Him. He lived and died for His Father. Even when persecuted, condemned and crucified, He never failed to cling to His Father; “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? 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!” Both Father and Son, because of their deep love for us, emptied themselves of each other for the sake of us all so that we will never doubt their unconditional and total love for us.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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