Filled the House
Monday of Holy Week
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
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 him, 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.
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“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”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
Mary of Bethany can teach us much about what it is to genuinely love Jesus. This is not the first time we have seen her in the Gospels. She is the one who sits at Jesus’ feet and listens to Him while her sister Martha is busy serving. There, Mary shows us true prayer. And Jesus defends her decision to be there, silent, at His feet. In this Gospel passage, Mary shows us true worship. And Jesus defends her from those who disapprove of this eccentricity. Mary and Jesus reveal a very important lesson to Christians about the extravagance of worship.
Loving worship is the most fitting offering we can make to God. We are limited creatures, He is our infinite Creator. We owe Him worship. And no matter how great our worship may be, it is utterly nothing compared to what He deserves. God prescribes extravagant worship to the Israelites. Jesus defends the extravagant worship of Mary. Therefore, we understand that the Liturgy shouldn’t be cheaply done: music and art should be sacred, not chintzy; people should dress well, not casually; priests should present the Gospel’s good news, not present messages that feel good; the length of the Liturgy should be appropriate, not short; And we need to spend time and money on the Liturgy…sometimes even a disproportionate amount of time and money. We need to realize that worship is about giving God glory first, not giving us pleasure first. How can we worship differently, and better this Sunday?
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above.(Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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