20260330 LOVE WITHOUT MEASURE
30 March 2026, 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.
LOVE WITHOUT MEASURE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [IS 42:1-7; PS 27:1-3, 13-14; JN 12:1-11]
“How much do you love me?” This is a question we often ask our friends and loved ones. Jesus also asked Peter this question after His resurrection. Three times, the Lord asked Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” (cf. Jn 21:15-17). When Peter replied, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you,” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go” (Jn 21:17f). Indeed, love has no measure. To love means to give all and to surrender all.
This is the way Jesus loves us. At the beginning of the account of Jesus’ farewell meal with His disciples, the Evangelist remarks, “Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1). Indeed, Jesus showed us the depth of His love by emptying Himself of His divinity, assuming our humanity, and becoming obedient even unto death on the cross (cf. Phil 2:6-8). His whole life was lived as an oblation for humanity. He spent His time healing the sick, delivering those suffering from all kinds of oppression, including the Evil One, raising the dead, reconciling sinners with God, and teaching us the unconditional love and mercy of His Father.
Jesus is the fulfilment of the Suffering Servant in the first reading. The first Song of the Suffering Servant prefigures the role of the Messiah. Scripture scholars are not entirely certain who the Suffering Servant mentioned in Isaiah refers to, as the description is somewhat cryptic. Some suggest it could refer to Israel, the Messiah, or even Emperor Cyrus. But for us Christians, we know that this Suffering Servant is none other than Christ, for Jesus lived out this prophecy perfectly in His life. He is the Chosen One of God. This is implied in Jesus’ baptism when a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17). This echoes what Isaiah said: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights.”
Furthermore, Jesus shares the same spirit as the Suffering Servant: “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; the islands await his law.” At His inauguration, the Lord also cited the text of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and release to prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Isa 61:1f; cf. Lk 4:18f).
Indeed, the Lord, filled with the Spirit of His Father, in His self-emptying love, sought to win us over through love, compassion, and tenderness. Instead of using violence and retaliation to win over His enemies, He submitted Himself to the cruelty of unjust suffering inflicted by them. He does not shout, but gently invites us to repent. He did not condemn those who recognised themselves as sinners; rather, He always assured them of God’s forgiveness. In championing justice for all, the Lord was courageous in speaking out against those who oppressed the people. He remained focused on His mission despite opposition, resistance, and threats from the religious authorities. This was because of His love for us. He is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep (Jn 10:11). He has compassion for us because we are harassed and helpless, like “sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36).
Mary, in today’s Gospel, having received Jesus’ overwhelming love for her, returned that love without measure. She was extravagant in expressing her love for the Lord, since Jesus had first demonstrated through His life what love truly is. Indeed, she teaches us that love does not count the cost or measure the sacrifice. She showed her love by anointing His body with very costly ointment of pure nard. Although the ointment cost three hundred denarii–almost a year’s wages for a labourer–she did not mind “wasting” it on the Lord. When we love, we do not measure love in monetary terms. Love comes from the heart; when we love, the heart responds and expresses itself freely.
Love is not measured in material or monetary terms, but expresses itself in humility. Instead of using a towel, Mary unabashedly untied her hair–though it was considered immodest for a woman to do so in public–and used it to wipe Jesus’ feet. Such was her love. She became like a servant, stooping low not only to wash His feet but even to wipe them with her hair, anticipating how Jesus Himself would later wash the feet of His disciples. In doing so, she showed that love means being completely at ease before one’s beloved. There is no need to dress up, put on appearances, or pretend to be someone else. A lover is simply himself or herself before the one who is loved. Mary was so confident of Jesus’ love that she did not feel the need to “perform” or impress. She expressed her love spontaneously and sincerely, in the way she knew best. She knew that the Lord loved her just as she was–unconditionally, uniquely, and completely.
In contrast, those who are not sincere in love will always count the cost of giving. Judas remarked, “Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” The evangelist adds, “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 did not truly love the Lord or the poor; he used the poor as an excuse to avoid loving the Lord. When we lack love, we lack generosity. To disguise this, we rationalise and find excuses for not doing what we know we ought to do. Without love, we become calculating in our actions. But when we love from the heart, calculation is the last thing on our minds. A person who loves is always thinking about how to make the beloved feel loved and happy.
At any rate, we must not mistake kindness for charity. We may be charitable to the living, but we can be kind to both the living and the dead. As the Lord said in a cryptic way about Mary, she was preparing His body for burial. Unknowingly, Mary was doing exactly that. She loved the Lord, and there is nothing wrong in loving our loved ones. This does not mean that we do not love the poor. On the contrary, it is precisely because we love our loved ones and are loved in return that we are able to love the poor even more. True love does not remain confined within a relationship. When we are empowered by love, we naturally reach out to others who are deprived of such love. That is why we are told that when Mary poured the ointment on the Lord’s feet, “the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.” In offering her love to the Lord, she spread that love throughout the whole house. The fragrance of her abundant and extravagant love was experienced by all present, filling the entire house.
We, too, who have received so much love from the Lord, must now ask ourselves how much we love Him in return. As the Lord approaches His Passion, how will we console Him and show that His death was not in vain, but fruitful for our salvation? We are called to act like Mary, expressing an abundant love for the Lord. We must deepen and intensify our love for Him, and at the same time allow this love to radiate to others, so that its “fragrance” may spread everywhere. Like the Suffering Servant, we have been chosen to serve the cause of what is right. As the Lord says, “I have taken you by the hand and formed you; I have appointed you as a covenant for the people and a light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison, and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.” Let us, therefore, serve the Lord with gladness and joy.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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