Monday,
March 30, 2015
Monday of Holy Week
1st Reading:
Is 42; 1-7
Gospel: John 12:1-11
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where he had raised Lazarus, the dead man, to life. Now they gave a dinner for him, and while Martha waited on them, Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus.
Then Mary took a pound of costly perfume made from genuine nard and anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair. And the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Judas, son of Simon Iscariot—the disciple who was to betray Jesus—remarked, “This perfume could have been sold for three hundred dinaríí and turned over to the poor.” Judas, indeed, had no concern for the poor; he was a thief and as he held the common purse, he used to help himself to the funds.
But Jesus spoke up, “Leave her alone. Was she not keeping it for the day of my burial? (The poor you always have with you, but you will not always have me.)”
Many Jews heard that Jesus was there and they came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests thought about killing Lazarus as well, for many of the Jews were drifting away because of him and believing in Jesus.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life
Experience)
Lazarus’ resuscitation angered the Jews because it strengthened the influence of Jesus and threatened theirs. They understood that a resuscitated Lazarus meant a growing following for Jesus. The most convenient way to maintain their standing was to kill Lazarus.
The story of Lazarus is our story too. Once spiritually dead, now we are alive in Jesus. Our coming back to life testifies to God’s power over life. For this the forces of evil would want to keep us spiritually dead. The strategy includes luring us to the side of evil through come-ons like material prosperity and success. Let us not be deceived. There is no life in the devil. “Devil” read in reverse is “lived”, the past tense of life. Those who enter into compromise with the devil and abandon their life in Christ can only look back with regret to a life they once had in the Lord.
The Lord restored Lazarus back to life yet he died again. In contrast, the life restored to us by the Lord is spiritual life that is ours to enjoy for all eternity. What a poor sense of proportion if we should exchange this life with the fleeting prosperity the devil offers. Let us reflect with gratitude on the life we have regained from the Lord. A deeper reflection on this singular privilege will make us more appreciative and less likely to enter into compromises with the devil. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.frdan.org.
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