Monday of Holy Week
John 12:1-11In today’s gospel, Jesus visits Bethany to spend time with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, who Jesus raised from the dead. Mary pours expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus and Judas complains that they could have gotten a lot of money for the jar of ointment instead of using it on Jesus’ feet. Judas was greedy for personal gain, not for care of the poor. But Jesus patiently corrects him, saying he will not always be around and Mary’s gesture was noble. We begin to see a conflict coming to a head. Judas is more open in his criticism of those around Jesus. The Pharisees now plot to kill both Jesus and Lazarus. Conflicts escalate. How does Jesus handle it? How should we handle conflict?
Jesus calmly, but resolutely continues on to complete the Father’s Will for Him. We must do the same. Keep our eyes on The Lord. Focus on the goal. Don’t lose your calm demeanor.