Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Juan 12:1-11)
Anom ka adlaw sa wala pa ang Piesta sang Pascua, si Jesus nagkadto sa Betania, sa diin nagapuyo si Lazaro nga ginbanhaw ni Jesus.
Gin-amanan nila sia sing panihapon kag si Marta nagsirbe, samtang si Lazaro nagkaon upod kay Jesus.
Dayon si Maria nagkuha sing agwa nga malahalon, nga nahimo gikan sa puraw nga nardo nga ang kadamuon mga tunga sa litro. Ginbuboan niya sini ang mga tiil ni Jesus kag ginpahiran sang iya buhok. Ang kahamot sang agwa nagtugob sa bug-os nga balay.
Si Judas Iscariote nga isa sang mga gintuton-an ni Jesus, kag amo ang magaluib sa iya, nagsiling, “Ngaa wala pag-ibaligya ini nga agwa sing P300 kag ang kuwarta ipanghatag sa mga imol?”
Ginsiling niya ini indi kay nagakabalaka sia sa mga imol, kundi bangod kay isa sia ka makawat. Sia ang nagauyat sang ila kuwarta kag nagakuha sia sa sini.
Pero si Jesus nagsiling, “Pabay-i lang sia! Kay gintigana niya ini para sa adlaw sang akon lubong.
Ang mga imol kaupod ninyo sa gihapon, pero ako indi makapadayon sa pag-upod sa inyo.”
Madamo nga mga Judio ang nakahibalo nga si Jesus yara sa Betania, gani nagkadto sila didto. Nagkadto sila indi lamang bangod kay Jesus, kundi sa pagtan-aw man kay Lazaro nga ginbanhaw ni Jesus.
Gani ang pangulo nga mga pari naghimbon sa pagpatay man kay Lazaro, kay tungod sa iya madamo nga mga Judio ang nagbiya sa ila mga pangulo 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?
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