Palm Sunday_B - The Lady With the Jar of Oil_032821

Deacon Tom Writes,

The Lady With the Jar of Oil 

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, Year B

We don’t know much about the woman who walks into Simon the leper’s house from our reading in Mark’s Gospel. But we do know that this was an important event for two reasons. First, because Jesus tells us that “wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her”. Second, this story is told in all four gospels. (If you’re interested, here are the references:  Matthew 26.6, Mark 24.4, Luke 7.36, and John 12.1. You can see how details are added by the other Evangelists to this, the earliest account that we read today in Mark).

Picture the scene described in today's Gospel. Jesus is having dinner with Simon and this uninvited woman comes in off the street, breaks open an expensive jar of perfumed oil, and anoints Jesus’ head. There is more than a little disgust on how unreasonable this is. To do such a thing at the expense of feeding the poor was seemingly the source of their outrage. Its value was substantial, as scripture notes, worth than 300 days wages. But Jesus states an awful truth, “the poor you will always have with you”. How true, how sad and how real it is that we tend to the poor when we feel like doing so!

This act of anointing with oil proves comforting to Jesus as His hour approaches. A stranger, an outsider perhaps, appears on the scene, creates this intimate moment of holy anointing in recognition of He who it is she is kneeling before and then goes off into the night. Jesus needed to be strengthened and encouraged but he gets neither from His close friends and disciples, only from this stranger. 

There are times in our lives when we have the chance to be an “angel of mercy” just like this woman with the jar. We have unlimited opportunities to lift someone’s spirits, give them some positive affirmation, encourage them or cheer them up. It may cost us some time and some energy. We may have to rearrange our schedules or go out of our way. But remember, it was expensive oil, a year’s salary. Remember too, as we come into Holy Week, that when we do any kind deed for another person, we are really doing it to Jesus who was so grateful for this act of kindness that He tells those seated around the table that she will be remembered as long as the gospel is proclaimed throughout the world. Isn’t it interesting St. Mark begins the story of Jesus' Passion with her anointing of His feet? Who will we anoint with our kindness, generosity or forgiveness this Holy Week?

Have a holy, Holy Week!
Deacon Tom

Image credit: riverwindgallaryart.com

Palm Sunday_A - Wash Away My Troubles_040520

Deacon Tom Writes,

Wash Away My Troubles

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, Year A

As we stand powerless in the face of the ravages the coronavirus is unleashing around the world, we come to Palm Sunday and witness Jesus, the Son of God, rendered powerless before Pilate. There will be a complete turn-around for Jesus come Easter Morning. And there will be a turn-around for the world too. We see it already. People doing amazing things to come to the aid of neighbor and stranger. This time of adversity will show peoples' true character... They will either take great personal risk to come to the aid of others or they will talk the good talk... Time will tell. 

As we read through Jesus’ passion by St. Matthew today, we hear how Pilate handled matters when he lost control of the crowd...“he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourself’”.

In capturing so vividly Pilate’s attempt to wash himself clean of any complicity in Christ’s death, Matthew has given us an image we may, at times, use to escape our own culpability in wrongdoing; we wash our hands of the matter. This need to become clean when things have gone wrong is universal and timeless. Pilate obviously realized that. Along similar lines we recall the story of King David years before whose guilt drove him to journal his remorse in Psalm 51:

            Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness;

            in your abundant compassion blot out my offense.

            Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me.

            For I know my offense; my sin is always before me.

And, guess what? This need to become clean again when we are troubled by our guilt is still around today. It has even been popularized in our music, I’m sure some of you may recall these words to the song, “The Road to Shambala by Three Dog Night:

            Wash away my troubles, wash away my shame

            With the rain in Shambala

            Wash away my sorrow, wash away my pain

            With the rain in Shambala

Yes, in all honesty, we make mistakes, (yet rarely own up to them) and we do things that hurt others and ourselves. Or, sometimes, we fail to do the right thing and that makes us feel just as guilty as if we did something wrong. We need to get back on the right path... the path of righteousness. What better image than that of water as a sign of our becoming clean again as a first sign of our willingness to show remorse and begin anew?

That is the exact function of the Sacrament of Reconciliation…which also has fallen victim to the coronavirus. You see, this Sacrament provides real cleansing. It provides healing from the inside out, in the heart and attitude. And real forgiveness comes from the very person Pilate unjustly condemned to death. It’s unfortunate that today when there is so much need of forgiveness and such a profound underestimate of our own sinfulness, this healing Sacrament is so underutilized. As we come to the end of our Lenten journey, let us attempt to take advantage of the graces Our Lord makes available to us when we ask Him to cleanse us of our sins.

Remember: enjoy the day and let your joy touch others!

Deacon Tom