All-powerful God, by the suffering and death of your Son, strengthen and protect us in our weakness. Amen
John 12:1-11Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” He said this not because he cared about the poorbut because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions. So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.
In today’s Gospel Jesus is comfortable yet apprehensive. He is dining with Lazarus, his close friend whom He brought back to life. Yet Judas raises a fuss about the use of expensive oils on Christ’s feet, as a waste of money. And another source of foreboding is that the chief priests were plotting to kill Lazarus because his being alive was bearing positive witness to the power of Jesus. Many in power feared that and were threatened by it. The forces for Christ and against Him are lining up.
How will we pray with Jesus during these days of Holy Week? Where will we take our place as these events are laid out for us? Christ has aligned Himself with the poor and marginal. But He also spoke to all of us; when we find ourselves at the end of our rope then we know there is less for us but more room for God; when we feel we have lost everything that is most dear to us then we can truly understand the embrace by the One most dear to us; when we show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight then we can finally discover who we are and our place in God’s family. Praise be to the Christ that loves us all, in our times of boasting but most especially in our times of trial.
God of love, Our prayer is simple: Your son, Jesus, suffered and died for us. We know only that we cannot have real strength unless we rely on you. We cannot feel protected from our many weaknesses until we turn to you for forgiveness and your unalterable love. Help us to share this strength, protection and love with others.
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