Ang daku nga paghigugma kay Jesus

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Juan 12:1-11)

Karon, anom na lang ka adlaw bag-o mag-abot ang piesta, nagkadto si Jesus sa Betania, sa lugar ni Lazaro nga iya ginbanhaw.

Nagpreparar sila sing panihapon para kay Jesus. Si Lazaro isa sa mga kaupod ni Jesus nga nagakaon sa lamisa. Si Marta amo ang nagasirbe.

Si Maria iya nagkuha sing bali tunga sa litro nga malahalon nga pahamot nga halin sa tanom nga nardo. Ginbubo niya ini sa tiil ni Jesus. Pagkatapos ginpahiran niya sang iya buhok. Kag nalikop ang bug-os nga balay sang kahamot sang sadto nga pahamot.

Isa didto sa mga kaupod ni Jesus amo si Judas Escariote, nga amo ang magatraidor sa iya. Nagsiling si Judas,

"Ang bili sang sina nga pahamot mga isa gid ka tuig nga suweldo sang isa ka tawo. Ngaa wala ina pag-ibaligya kag ang bili ipanghatag sa mga imol?"

Ginsiling niya ini, indi tungod kay naluoy siya sa mga imol, kundi tungod kay kawatan siya. Siya amo ang nagauyat sang ila kuwarta kag permi niya ini ginakuhaan.

Pero nagsiling si Jesus, "Pabay-i lang siya! Ipatago lang sa iya ang nabilin agod itigana sa akon lubong.

Ang mga imol permi ninyo makaupod, pero ako indi ninyo permi makaupod."

Madamo nga mga Judio ang nakabalita nga didto si Jesus sa Betania, gani nagkadto sila didto. Nagkadto sila didto indi lang tungod kay Jesus, kundi gusto man nila nga makita si Lazaro nga iya ginbanhaw.

Gani ginplano sang mga manugdumala nga mga pari nga patyon man si Lazaro, kay tungod sa iya, madamo na nga mga Judio ang nagbiya sa ila kag nagtuo kay Jesus.

Prayers:

"Give us, Lord, a lively faith, a firm hope, a fervent charity, a love of you. Take from us all lukewarmness in meditation, dullness in prayer. Give us fervor and delight in thinking of you and your grace, your tender compassion towards me. The things we pray for, good Lord, give us grace to labor for: through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Prayer of Sir Thomas More, 16th century)

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Reflection of the Daily Gospel:

Do you know the love that knows no bounds? As Jesus dines with his beloved friends, Mary does something which only love can do. She took the most precious thing she had and spent it all on Jesus. Her love was not calculated but extravagant. Mary's action was motivated by one thing, and one thing only, namely, her love for Jesus and her gratitude for God’s mercy. She did something, however, a Jewish woman would never do in public. She loosed her hair and anointed Jesus with her tears. It was customary for a woman on her wedding day to bound her hair. For a married woman to loosen her hair in public was a sign of grave immodesty. Mary was oblivious to all around her, except for Jesus. She took no thought for what others would think, but what would please her Lord. In humility she stooped to anoint Jesus' feet and to dry them with her hair. How do you anoint the Lord’s feet and show him your love and gratitude?

The gospel records that the whole house was filled with the perfume of the ointment. What Mary had done brought sweetness not only in the physical sense, but the spiritual sense as well. Her lovely deed shows the extravagance of love – a love that we cannot outmatch. The Lord Jesus showed us the extravagance of his love in giving the best he had by pouring out his own blood for our sake and by anointing us with his Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul says that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:39). Do you allow the love of Christ to rule in all your thoughts and intentions, and in all your words and deeds?

Why was Judas critical of Mary’s lovely deed? Judas viewed her act as extravagant wastefulness because of greed. A person views things according to what it inside the heart and soul. Judas was an embittered man and had a warped sense of what was precious and valuable, especially to God. Jesus had put Judas in charge of their common purse, no doubt because he was gifted in financial matters. The greatest temptation we can face will often come in the area of our greatest strength or gifting. Judas used money entrusted to him for wrong and hurtful purposes. He allowed greed and personal gain to corrupt his heart and to warp his view of things. He was critical towards Mary because he imputed unworthy motives. Do you examine your heart correctly when you impute wrong or unworthy motives towards others?