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From: Isaiah 42:1—7

First Song of the Servant of the Lord

(Thus says the Lord,) [1] “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations. [2] He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; [3] a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. [4] He will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. [5] Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: [6] “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, [7] to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.”

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Commentary:

42:1-9. The Lord, who revealed his power by creating the world (40:12-31) and showed his determination to save mankind by his intervention in history (4l:1-29), now announces a new stage in his plans (v. 9). To advance them he will give a special mission to the “servant of the Lord”; in the prophetic text, this personage plays the key role in making known and putting into effect the salvific plans of God. Four passages over the course of chapters 42-55 speak of the servant and his mission; these passages may originally have made up a poem of their own. These oracles are usually called the “Songs of the Servant”. Most biblical scholars see 42:1-9 as being the first song or, rather, the first stanza of that poem. The other three passages are: 49:1-6; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12. They combine to make a very beautiful poem, but they raise difficult questions as to style and content. They have been the subject of a great deal of commentary, and the identity of the “servant” is still a matter of debate. Those who consider the four passages to be parts of the one poem take it that the “servant” in each is one and the same person and has one and the same mission. Scholars who do not regard the four passages as originally part of a single poem interpret the person and mission of the servant as being different in each.

There are basically three theories as to who the servant is. One theory is that he is a particular individual—a king of the house of Judah, or the prophet himself or, Of course, a future Messiah, who will redeem Israel The second theory is that the servant is a collectivity he stands for Israel, or for some group within Israel The third theory argues that the servant is meant to be depicted ambiguously—that is in a way that allows him to be interpreted in both of the ways mentioned previously—as a person of significance but someone who can symbolize all Israel.

In this first song (vv 1-9) the servant certainly comes across as a figure of mystery: v. 1 gives him very special universal transcendental attributes, Verses 2-3a show his humility but they are followed immediately by verses saying that he is someone able to “establish justice in the earth”, to be “a light to the nations’ someone who can “bring light to the nations” and “open the eyes that are blind arid set captives free...”. The “servant” can do all this because the Lord has “put his Spirit on him” (cf. v. 1), that is, he is someone chosen by God and he has the help of the Spirit of the Lord to carry out his mission to teach his Law to the very ends of the earth. So, these words could be describing the prophet’s own conviction that he has a mission to perform—to proclaim the word of God; a mission that he did not seek but, rather, had given to him. But the servant could also stand for the whole people of Israel (cf. 41:8)—for in the same way were the people chosen by God to bear witness to him before all mankind concerning the Law they had received from the Lord.

The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles without attempting to discover exactly who this servant was originally (or whom he was meant to stand for) interpreted the main features of the servant as being a prophecy about Jesus, in whom the Father is most pleased, and who, in the unity of the Holy Spirit is truly the light for all nations and the liberation of all the oppressed. For example, in the accounts of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan and of the Transfiguration, the voice of the Father refers to those features: This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased (Mt 3:17); “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” (Lk 9:35). The Gospel of Matthew, which makes a point of showing that the Scriptures find fulfillment in Jesus, explicitly quotes vv. 2-4 of this oracle of Isaiah to show that in Jesus is fulfilled the prophecy of the servant, who was rejected by the leaders of the people and whose quiet and kindly teaching would bring the light of truth to the world (Mt 12:15-21). And later in his Gospel, when St
Matthew recounts the passion and death of our Lord (cf. Mt 27:30), he again makes the link between Christ and the servant.

The expression “light to the nations” (v. 6) seems to find an echo in what Jesus says about his being the light of the world (Jn 8:12; 9:5) and also in the “Benedictus” of Zechariah (Lk 1:78-79). There is an evocation of v. 7 in Jesus’ reply to the messengers from John the Baptist who ask him whether he is he who is to come (cf. Mt 11:4-6: Lk 7:18-22); cf. the note on 29:15-24. And so St Justin will say, commenting on vv. 6-7: “Everything that is said here, my friends, refers to Christ and to the peoples who have been enlightened by his presence” (Dialogus Cum Tryphone”, 122,2).

The Church in the Second Vatican Council acknowledges her duty to strive to use every opportunity to show that Christ is truly, the “light of the nations” (v. 6): “Christ is the Light of nations. Because this is so, this Sacred Synod gathered together in the Holy Spirit eagerly desires by proclaiming the Gospel to every creature, to bring the light of Christ to all men a light brightly visible on the countenance of the Church (”Lumen Gentium”, 1).

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 form 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 contact.

“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 followed 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 denarius, 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! Judas 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 disposing 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 indirect 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 hypocrisy 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 Jesus (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 themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away” (Mark 4:16-17).

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Violet.

First reading	Isaiah 42:1-7 ©

Here is my chosen one in whom my soul delights

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.’

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 26(27):1-3,13-14 ©