Monday of Holy Week
Morning Prayer
Grace: To abide with Jesus through the loneliness and anguish of his passion.
Gospel Reading: 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 Jesus, 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.
Reflection
My beloved Jesus is once again our honored guest in my home. Usually, I would be giddy with delight that he is spending time with us. Big things happen when he arrives! See, my dear brother Lazarus is alive and well because my Lord raised him from the dead the last time he visited! How I love this radiant young man!
But all has suddenly changed. Everyone around him has become so tense and so grim. Even his disciples are engulfed in despair. Most worrisome is Judas, who seems to be perpetually angry. He frightens me with the intensity of his anger. Nothing good will come from such anger. Our religious leaders are also always around, watching Jesus, and never far away are the hated Romans, also watching Jesus. Their watching is hostile, and I can feel death in their very gazes. All has suddenly changed.
There is such a deep sadness in Jesus’ beautiful eyes, a sadness that pierces my heart. I would do anything to comfort him, even dying for him if that was what was needed to bring the joy back into his eyes. When he raised my brother from the dead, he said he is the resurrection and the life, and that whoever believes in him will live forever. The problem with resurrection is that death comes first. The death of my brother was bad enough, but I could not bear witnessing the death of my beloved Jesus. I know what I can do to ease his sadness. I can journey with him in his sadness by anointing his tired feet with nard and then drying him with my hair. Perhaps this small gesture will comfort him on whatever journey lies ahead for him.
Reflection Questions:
- Reflect upon a time when you experienced a significant loss in your life. How did you react to the experience?
- If you did not invite our Lord to walk with you during this time of loss, invite him to do so now. Reimagine your loss, with Jesus walking beside you every step of the way.
- How did the presence of Jesus change your experience of loss?
To enter more fully into this Gospel passage of impending suffering and death, reflect upon this poem by Rumi, a beloved Persian poet born on September 30, 1207 and died on December 17, 1273:
Dying, Laughing
A lover was telling his beloved
How much he loved her,
How faithful
He had been,
How self-sacrificing, getting up
At dawn every morning, fasting, giving up
Wealth and strength and fame,
All for her
There was a fire in him.
He didn’t know where it came from,
But it made him weep and melt like a candle.
“You’ve done well,” she said, “but listen to me.
All this décor of love, the branches
And leaves and blossoms. You must live
At the root of a true lover.”
“Where is that!
Tell me!”
“You’ve done the outward acts,
But you haven’t died. You must die.”
When he heard that, he lay back on the ground
Laughing, and he died. He opened like a rose
That drops to the ground and died laughing.
That laughter was his freedom,
And his gift to the eternal
As moonlight shines back at the sun,
He heard the call to come home, and went.
When light returns to its source,
It takes nothing
Of what it has illuminated.
It may have shone on a garbage dump, or a garden,
Or in the center of a human eye. No matter
It goes, and when it does,
The open plain becomes passionately desolate,
Wanting it back.
(From The Essential Rumi, New Expanded Edition, translations by Coleman Barks, HarperOne, 10 East 53rd St., New York, New York, 2004)
Evening Prayer – Psalm 63: 5-9
Reflecting upon the previous poem, I call to mind:
“I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands, calling on your name.”
Jesus, I recollect the beauty and power of your name.
“My soul shall savor the rich banquet of praise; With joyous lips my mouth shall honor you!”
Thanksgiving: Take a moment to give thanks to the Lord for this day.
“When I think of you upon my bed, Through the night watches I will recall”
Review: I ask for the wisdom of God to show me the events, persons and insights of my day.
“That you indeed are my help, and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.”
Reflection: I remember one way today that I have failed to love and I ask Jesus for mercy.
“My soul clings fast to you; your right hand upholds me.”
Write a summary of the experiences you have received today.
The Contributor:
Gail Dereszewski is the Director of Adult Education and RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) at St. Matthew’s parish since 2011. She completed the Ignatian Exercises (19th annotation) in 2016. She has been married to her husband Razi for 33 years and has called San Antonio home for 36 years. She considers it a great privilege to be able to serve the people of God through adult ministry.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.