Jesus at Bethany

April 14, 2014
Holy Monday
1st Reading: Is 42:1–7
Gospel: Jn 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 silver coins 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.)” (…)

D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in
the Assimilated
 Life Experience)
Love for money motivated Judas in protesting the woman’s lavish acts of hospitality towards Jesus. “This perfume” Judas declared, “could have been sold for three hundred silver coins and turned over to the poor.” We know that Judas only used the poor to sanitize his corrupt motives and interests. His real concern was money. The Gospel itself tells us that he often helped himself from the purse he held as treasurer of Jesus’ band of Apostles.
In ignoring Judas’ protest Jesus did not intend to ignore the plight of the poor. In the first place Judas was not sincere and his case did not deserve scant attention. Secondly, taking Judas seriously would have amounted to legitimizing the use of the plight of the poor for corrupt motives. Jesus is pro-poor and he wanted to show that there is a more decent way of treating them.
Today, poor people are still exploited. Some politicians, for example, consider them very useful during elections. Some civic organizations use them for fund raising purposes. Many other groups need them for their hurriedly-organized yearend feeding and dole-out activities. Yet only the name of the poor has changed. Now they are cutely called “marginalized”.  They have remained poor despite all sectors reaching out to them. That is because many of these sectors pretending to help them have their eyes fixed on some opportunities for gain.
The season of Lent is a time to reconcile with the Lord. But the condition for that reconciliation is non-negotiable. We must be responsive to the needs of the poor with a genuine concern not tainted with corrupt motives or interests. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.frdan.org.

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