From: John 12:1-11

Mary Anoints Our Lord at Bethany

[1] Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was,
whom Jesus raised from the dead. [2] There they made Him a supper; Martha
served, and Lazarus was one of those at table with Him. [3] Mary took a pound
of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet
with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. [4] But
Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples (he who was to betray Him), said, [5] “Why
was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” [6]
This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as
he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. [7] Jesus said, “Let
her alone, let her keep it for the day of My burial. [8] The poor you have always
have with you, but you do not always have Me.”

[9] When the great crowd of the Jews learned that He was there, they came, not
only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead.
[10] So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also, [11] because on
account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

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Commentary:

1. Jesus pays another visit to His friends in Bethany. It is very touching to see
this friendship, at once divine and human, expressed in the form of frequent con-
tact.

“It’s true that I always call our Tabernacle ‘Bethany’....Become a friend of the
Master’s friends: Lazarus, Martha, Mary. And then you won’t ask me any more
why I call our Tabernacle ‘Bethany’” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 322).

2-3. Apparently, our Lord was anointed on two different occasions — first, at the
start of His public ministry, in Galilee, as recounted by St. Luke (7:36-50); and,
second, towards the end of His life, in Bethany, reported here by St. John and
undoubtedly the same incident described by St. Matthew (26:6-13) and St. Mark
(14:3-9). The two anointings are quite distinct: they occur at different times and
the details of the accounts differ: the first is a demonstration of repentance fol-
lowed by pardon; the second, a delicate expression of love, which Jesus further
interprets as an anticipation of the anointing of His body for burial (verse 7).

Although these anointings of Jesus had a particular significance, they should be
seen in the context of Eastern hospitality.

The pound was a measure of weight equivalent to three hundred grams; a dena-
rius, as we have indicated elsewhere, was a day’s wage of an agricultural laborer;
therefore, the cost of the flask of perfume would have amounted to a year’s wage.

“What a shining proof of magnanimity is this ‘extravagance’ on Mary’s part! Ju-
das on the other hand laments this ‘waste’ of so valuable a perfume; in his greed
he had been calculating the price: it would have fetched at least ‘three hundred
silver pieces’.

“True detachment leads us to be very generous with God and with our fellowmen.
[...] Don’t be mean and grudging with people who, without counting the cost, have
given of their all, everything they have, for your sake. Just ask yourselves, how
much does it cost you — in financial terms as well — to be Christians? Above all,
don’t forget that ‘God loves a cheerful giver’ (2 Corinthians 9:7)” (St. J. Escriva,
“Friends of God”, 126).

4-6. From this passage and from John 13:29 we know that Judas was the person
in charge of the money. His petty thefts—they could not have been any more than
that, given the meagre resources of Jesus and the Twelve—played their part in dis-
posing him to commit his eventual sin of betraying Jesus; his complaint about
the woman’s generosity was quite hypocritical. “Frequently the servants of Satan
disguise themselves as servants of righteousness (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
Therefore, (Judas), hid his malice under a cloak of piety” (St. Thomas Aquinas,
“Commentary on St. John, ad loc.”).

7-8. As well as praising Mary’s generous gesture, our Lord announces in an indi-
rect way His forthcoming death, even implying that it will happen so precipitously
that there will hardly be time to prepare His body for burial in the normal way
(Luke 23:56). Jesus is not saying that almsgiving is not a good thing (He often
recommended it: cf. Matthew 25:40); what He is doing here is exposing the hypo-
crisy of people like Judas who deceitfully profess noble motives in order to avoid
giving God the honor He is due.

9-11. The news of the raising of Lazarus has spread rapidly among the people of
Judea and those travelling up to Jerusalem for the Passover; many believe in Je-
sus (John 11:45); others look for Him (John 11:56) perhaps more out of curiosity
(John 12:9) than faith. Following Christ demands more of each of us than just
superficial, short-lived enthusiasm. We should not forget those “who, when they
hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in them-
selves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on
account of the word, immediately they fall away” (Mark 4:16-17).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading

Isaiah 42:1-7 ©

Here is my servant whom I uphold,

my chosen one in whom my soul delights.

I have endowed him with my spirit

that he may bring true justice to the nations.

He does not cry out or shout aloud,

or make his voice heard in the streets.

He does not break the crushed reed,

nor quench the wavering flame.

Faithfully he brings true justice;

he will neither waver, nor be crushed

until true justice is established on earth,

for the islands are awaiting his law.

Thus says God, the Lord,

he who created the heavens and spread them out,

who gave shape to the earth and what comes from it,

who gave breath to its people

and life to the creatures that move in it:

‘I, the Lord, have called you to serve the cause of right;

I have taken you by the hand and formed you;

I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the nations,

‘to open the eyes of the blind,

to free captives from prison,

and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.’

Psalm

Psalm 26:1-3,13-14 ©