20240325 THE PROVIDENTIAL PLAN OF GOD
25 March 2024, 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 PROVIDENTIAL PLAN OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [IS 42:1-7; PS 27:1-3,13-14; JN 12:1-11]
We live in a world that is unpredictable. We are all born into this world for a purpose and for a time. As William Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.” This observation is true insofar as we do not reduce our existence in this world to merely an act. Indeed, we all have our contribution to the unfolding of this world. Right at the outset of creation, the Lord said, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” (Gn 1:28)
In other words, all of us have a role in the divine plan of salvation. However, not all of us are always conscious of our role in God’s plan. Some are conscious of their call, like the prophets in the Old Testament. Others stumble onto it. Many are involved in this drama without knowing what parts they are playing, and how they are involved in it. They just go through life, reacting to situations, making judgments and mistakes deliberately or unintentionally. Most, in truth, are unaware that they are influencing factors for good or for bad in the lives of others. Yet, God is in charge, as St Paul wrote, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Rom 8:28-30)
Within this context, we examine the scripture texts relating to the last days of our Lord. In the first reading, the liturgy provides us the First Servant Song from the Book of Isaiah. Exegetes are not clear who this servant is that is mentioned in the book. Is it an individual, or is the servant a reference to Israel as a nation? And if this servant is an individual, who could that be? Nevertheless, in the light of faith, on hindsight, Christians regard this text as a prophecy regarding Christ the Messiah, simply because He identified Himself as a suffering servant in His ministry. He came in human lowliness and carried the infirmities and sufferings of humanity upon Himself, including our sins. This explains why the Evangelist referred to this text in the theophany at His baptism when the Father said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (Mt 3:17) The text from Isaiah says, “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.”
Jesus, as the Suffering Servant, went about His ministry with clarity of vision. He knew, as Isaiah said, “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.” He knew that He was called to be the light of the world and to free men from the darkness and ignorance of sin and greed. But His way was never to use power to dominate but for humble service. Hence, this text fits very well into the humility and non-violent ministry of our Lord, especially in His last days at His passion. “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.”
For the others, the co-players of this drama, they did not know exactly what they were doing yet. Take the case of Mary, the sister of Lazarus. She must have been grateful to know our Lord and to receive His help and teaching. Most probably, she and Martha were forever grateful to our Lord for raising their brother from the dead. It was out of gratitude for this great man before her, this holy man, that she felt the need to express her heartfelt appreciation for all that He had done. So, “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.” She did something that might not appear to be so significant, but this act of hers has been immortalized in the scriptures. This was because, unknowingly, she was preparing the Lord’s body for burial. The pound of ointment could be used to anoint the entire body, not just the feet of Jesus. In fact, the other gospels seem to suggest more than the feet – Matthew and Mark recorded that the ointment was poured over the head of our Lord; not just His feet.
When criticized by Judas for being extravagant and wasteful, for that ointment would have cost one year’s wage for an ordinary worker, which is about, $18,000 in today’s terms, the Lord defended her action saying, “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, for the Lord, nothing is too much. Jesus is not saying that the poor is not important. The Church must serve the poor, but the Church must give honour to our Lord as well so that people will be conscious of His majesty and humanity, and so be inspired to serve the poor more generously. So, God in Jesus must first be given the right honour before service to the poor. Otherwise, we have no justification to build nice churches and basilicas or celebrate the liturgy with great solemnity. But those who criticize the Church for beautifying the churches would have no hesitation to beautify their homes. In fact, many of our homes are better furnished and beautified than our churches where Christ is present.
That is why we must be clear of how we pass judgment on such matters, and not fall into the hypocrisy of Judas. His motive was not sincere, as the evangelist noted, “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.” Judas was greedy and was helping himself to the money collected. Unlike Mary, who was not a woman of position or power, Judas was one of the Twelve, and given a position of trust; which was why the evangelist noted again and again that Judas Iscariot was a traitor. He would sell Jesus to His enemies for thirty silver pieces – perhaps partly out of greed and partly because he was impatient with Jesus and wanted Him to act by staging a rebellion against the Romans. But Jesus would not take that path of violence to bring about the establishment of God’s kingdom. By so doing, Judas unwittingly also allowed himself to be used by the Evil One to betray Jesus because he was not a true disciple of our Lord nor did he really love Him. For his role, he was immortalized in the scripture as a traitor, and as the Lord remarked, “The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” (Mt 26:24)
Finally, Lazarus too had a role, not of his will or consciousness but his resuscitation caused more people to turn to the Lord. The chief priests and the Sanhedrin were losing control of the people. Many were leaving them and turning to the Lord for they saw what He could do. Of course, this threatened the status quo of the religious institution. The evangelist noted, “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.” Again, unwittingly, they thought that killing Jesus was the way to save the institution and the people, but it did not turn out the way they thought. Caiaphas made a prophecy, again without understanding of what he said, and with clear knowledge of the imminent events ahead of him. “One of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all! You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.’ He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God.” Such is the power of God. In other words, He is in control even when we go against His plan.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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