MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK

The house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 

Everyone was shocked that Mary would anoint Jesus’ feet with such costly oil. Everyone, that is, but Jesus. He saw it for what it was: a generous, prophetic gesture that was meant to give him glory.

Don’t we all wish we could respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as generously as Mary did? But what if the Holy Spirit is calling us to offer something else to Jesus—like our time? Let’s consider the story of Sandra.

Sandra was a dedicated, active Catholic mom. Her to-do list was endless, and she used every spare moment to cross off another item on that list.

Last Lent, Sandra attended a parish mission focusing on the theme “Pour Yourself Out on Jesus.” On the second night of the mission, Sandra realized that pouring herself out like this meant making Jesus the top priority in her life. In a flash of inspiration, she saw that she rarely included Jesus on her to-do list. So she decided to start every day by spending twenty minutes with him in prayer.

Every morning during Lent, Sandra read the Gospel stories about Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection. And the results were amazing. She began to see how much Jesus loved her. She saw his mercy in a whole new light. And what she saw made her love him more and more.

Sandra’s prayer also began to change the way she approached her to-do list. Rather than immediately diving in and checking off item after item, she ended her prayer time by saying, “Lord, you know that I have a lot to get done today, but I don’t want my to-do list to keep me from honoring you.”

Sandra found it hard at first. But each time she put aside her plans so that she could help someone out, she felt a deep sense of accomplishment. She also discovered that she was usually able to take care of the most important items on her list.

Like the woman in today’s Gospel reading, Sandra learned that loving and serving Jesus was the most important thing she could ever do. Let’s imitate these two women by pouring ourselves out for the Lord.

“Jesus, thank you for giving your life for me. Help me to give my life back to you.”

Isaiah 42:1-7
Psalm 27:1-3, 13-14
John 12:1-11