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| “St Mary Magdalene” by Carlo Dolci, 1644-46 |
Reading 1: Isaiah
42:1-7
Here is my servant whom I
uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am
pleased,
Upon whom I have put my
Spirit;
he shall bring forth justice
to the nations,
Not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in
the street.
A bruised reed he shall not
break,
and a smoldering wick he
shall not quench,
Until he establishes justice
on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for
his teaching.
Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and
stretched them out,
who spreads out the earth
with its crops,
Who gives breath to its
people
and spirit to those who walk
on it:
I, the LORD, have called you
for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the
hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
To open the eyes of the
blind,
to bring out prisoners from
confinement,
and from the dungeon, those
who live in darkness.
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Commentary on Is 42:1-7
This is the first of the four
“Servant of the Lord” oracles from Isaiah. Speaking as the mouth of God, the
prophet speaks of a renewal of Israel in his time. There are three more
passages considered by some to be parts of one poem (Isaiah 49:1-6; Isaiah 50:4-7; and Isaiah 52:13—53:12). While
there is some scholarly debate about the original intent of these poems, the
prophetic view sees these songs a reference to the coming Messiah. The
servant comes, not as a violent zealot but humbly, with the quiet power of God
(“A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not
quench”).
In these first strophes of the Song of the Suffering Servant, we
see God’s plan to transform the entire world (“…to the nations”) through
a messianic leader who will “open the eyes of the blind” and “bring
prisoners from confinement”. The descriptive imagery of being a light to
the nations and to “…those who live in darkness” is recalled in Luke’s
Canticle of Zachariah (Luke
1:68-69) as the infant St. John the Baptist is charged to announce the
coming of Christ. It is also echoed in the Canticle of Simeon (Luke 2:32) who sees Isaiah’s
servant in the newborn son of Mary. In this first song, Isaiah’s prediction
brings us almost the exact words spoken by God as Jesus walks out of the Jordan
following his baptism “Here
is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased,”.
The image of God infusing his spirit is fulfilled as the Holy Spirit descends
in the form of a dove at Jesus’ Baptism (Matthew 16:12; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22) He goes on in vv.
2-4 to describe the compassionate and loving character of the Messiah.
In the vv. 6-7 Isaiah focuses on the new covenant established with
the people. “The expression ‘light
to the nations’ (v.6) seems to find an echo in what Jesus says
about his being ‘the light
of the world’ (John
8:12; 9:5) and also
in the Benedictus of
Zechariah (Luke 1:78-79).
There is an evocation of v.7 in Jesus’ reply to the messengers from John the
Baptist who ask him whether he is ‘he who is to come’ (cf. Matthew 11:4-6; Luke 7:18-22); […] And so St
Justin will say commenting on vv. 6-7: ‘Everything that is said here, my
friends, refers to Christ and to the peoples who have been enlightened by his
presence.’ (Dialogus cum
Tryphone, 122, 2)” [4]
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
27:1, 2, 3, 13-14
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my
salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light
and my salvation.
When evildoers come at me
to devour my flesh,
My foes and my enemies
themselves stumble and fall.
R. The Lord is my light
and my salvation.
Though an army encamp against
me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.
R. The Lord is my light
and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see
the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with
courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for
the LORD.
R The Lord is my light and
my salvation.
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Commentary on Ps 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14
This section of
the psalm is a profession of faith in the salvation that comes only from the
Lord God. This selection is frequently
used in Christian Funerals because of the hope and encouragement embodied in
it.
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Gospel: John 12:1-11
Six 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 poor
but 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.
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Commentary on Jn 12:1-11
In this scene
from St. John’s St. Mark’s Gospel this event takes place two days before
the Passover Feast as opposed to the numerically significant six mentioned
here; 6 being the most imperfect number in Hebrew numerology.) (See Mark
14: 1-5.)
Jesus again tells
the disciples that the time for his trial is at hand as he tells them; “You will always have the poor with you, but you
do not always have me.” The sense of finality is
growing as we are also told of the plot to kill Lazarus as well as Jesus in an
attempt to stamp out the Lord’s popularity among the people.
CCC: Jn 12:8 2449
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Reflection:
We look in awe at the tableau
set before us on the first weekday of our Holy Week. In the setting described
by St. John we see an encapsulated image of Jesus ministry on earth.
Jesus is at the house of his
good friend Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. In these familiar surroundings he is
accompanied by the twelve (we assume so because Judas is there (being portrayed
as the villain by St. John). In typical
fashion, Martha is doing all the heavy lifting while Mary, her sister is at the
feet of Jesus. And in the background the
Evangelist reminds us of the plots of the Scribes and Pharisees, in this
passage they are also planning to kill Lazarus because of his witness to the
salvific power of Christ.
We consider each in
turn. First we look at the Lord who now
perceives the end of his time among us.
As he reclines at table with his friends, Mary, Lazarus’ sister brings a
very expensive vase of oil and anoints Jesus’ feet, wiping them; we are told,
with her hair. This tender act must seem an affront to those with him. But to Jesus, who senses the cross looming,
it is a preparation for his departure (it was traditional among the Hebrews to
anoint a body after death in preparation for burial). He silences Judas, the only one who verbally
complains telling him that there will be plenty of time to serve the poor (“You always have the poor with you”). In this
comment Jesus tells us that while the poor must by ministered to by his
followers, his disciples must also draw strength from their adoration of
Christ. How can one feed the poor if
their spiritual reservoir is drained?
We consider the sisters,
Martha and Mary; Martha the head and Mary the heart. Martha is assuming her customary role serving
the household guests. We must assume,
given our own experience with those who feel obligated to take on the less
pleasant duties of hospitality, that she is aware of what is taking place at
the table. She has dropped her customary
“attitude” (she tends to treat Jesus like a brother, complaining to him about
Mary (John 10:38-41),
chastising him for being late when his brother was ill (dead) John
11:19-28). She knows about what is coming. She is the practical one after all. She may even have given Mary the money to go
buy the expensive oil she now lavishes on Christ. Our vision of her at this time is one who has
compartmentalized her emotions. Inside
she is afraid of what is coming (perhaps for her brother as well). She is likely torn because of her great faith
in Christ but that needs to be put aside – there are guest to feed, a table to
be tended. If we look closely at her as
she brings food to the table we may see a tear in the corner of her eye.
Her sister Mary on the other
had wears her heart on her sleeve as she performs the ritual yet intimate
anointing of the Lord’s feet. This is
not done with workman like dignity; we see her caressing the feet that will
soon be pierced with spikes as Jesus is nailed to the cross. Does she know or suspect? The details are hidden from her but her love
of Jesus is clear to all. Given the
emotional charge her actions add to the scene, it would not be surprising if
Judas’ outburst was more out of embarrassment than or concern for the worth of
the oil.
The author clearly does not
paint Judas that way. His Gospel tells
us that the youngest Apostle (St. John the Evangelist and author of this
Gospel) never trusted the holder of the purse.
He goes so far in this passage as to say of him “…because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to
steal the contributions.”
Regardless of his intentions,
we have now considered the picture in the hose of Lazarus. We ask ourselves in this Holy Week where we
see ourselves? Are we buried in work
like Martha? Are we weeping at the feet
of Jesus like Mary? Are we a bit put out
over the whole thing like Judas? Or are we like Lazarus who is grateful to have
his Savior with him?
As we walk these last few
days of Lent, let us pray that we might have the best attributes of all,
Martha’s strength, Mary’s love, even Judas’ concern for the poor. Time is flying by now; we pray that we do not
get lost in anticipation.
Pax
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The picture is “St Mary Magdalene” by Carlo Dolci, 1644-46
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
[4]
The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, ©
2002, pp. 186
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