Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 11-April-2022; Monday of Holy Week

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

John CHAP. 12

12:1–11

1. Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

2. There they made him a supper: and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

3. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

4. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,

5. Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

6. This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

7. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.

8. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

9. Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

10. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death:

11. Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.

ALCUIN. As the time approached in which our Lord had resolved to suffer, He approached the place which He had chosen for the scene of His suffering: Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany. First, He went to Bethany, then to Jerusalem; to Jerusalem to suffer, to Bethany to keep alive the recollection of the recent resurrection of Lazarus; Where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom He raised from the dead.

THEOPHYLACT. On the tenth day of the month they took the lamb which was to be sacrificed on the passover, and from that time began the preparation for the feast. Or rather the ninth day of the month, i. e. six days before the passover, was the commencement of the feast. They feasted abundantly on that day. Thus we find Jesus partook of a banquet at Bethany: There they made Him a supper, and Martha served. That Martha served, shews that the entertainment was in her house. See the fidelity of the woman: she does not leave the task of serving to the domestics, but takes it upon herself. The Evangelist adds, in order, it would seem, to settle Lazarus’ resurrection beyond dispute, But Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with Him.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. l. 5) He lived, talked, feasted; the truth was established, the unbelief of the Jews confounded.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxv) Mary did not take part in serving the guests generally, but gave all her attention to our Lord, treating Him not as mere man, but as God: Then took Mary a pound of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. l. 6) The word pistici seems to be the name of some place, from which this precious ointment came.

ALCUIN. Or pistici means genuine, non-adulterated. She is the woman that was a sinner, who came to our Lord in Simon’s house with the box of ointment.

AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Evang. ii. lxxix) That she did this on another occasion in Bethany is not mentioned in Luke’s Gospel, but is in the other three. Matthew and Mark say that the ointment was poured on the head, John says, on the feet. Why not suppose that it was poured both on the head, and on the feet? (c. lxxviii.). Matthew and Mark introduce the supper and the ointment out of place in the order of time. (Mat 26:6. Mark 14:3.) When they are some way farther on in their narrationa, they go back to the sixth day before the passover.

And the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. l) Remember the Apostle’s words: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. (2 cor. 11:16)

AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Evang. ii. lxxix. [156.]) Then saith one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray Him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? In the other Gospels it is the disciples who murmured at the waste of the ointment. I think myself that Judas is put for the whole body of disciples; the singular for the plural. But at any rate we may supply for ourselves, that the other disciples said it, or thought it, or were persuaded by this very speech of Judas. The only difference is, that Matthew and Mark expressly mention the concurrence of the others, whereas John only mentions Judas, whose habit of thieving He takes occasion to notice: This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

ALCUIN. He carried it as a servant, he took it out as a thief.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. l. 10) Judas did not perish at the time when he received money from the Jews to betray our Lord. He was already a thief, already lost, and followed our Lord in body, not in heart; wherein we are taught the duty of tolerating wicked men, lest we divide the body of Christ. He who robs the Church of any thing may be compared to the lost Judas. Tolerate the wicked, thou that art good, that thou mayest receive the reward of the good, and not fall into the punishment of the wicked. Follow the example of our Lord’s conversation upon earth. Wherefore had He bags, to Whom the Angels ministered, except because His Church should afterwards have bags? Why did He admit thieves, but to shew that His Church should tolerate thieves, while it suffered from them. It is not surprising that Judas, who was accustomed to steal money from the bags, should betray our Lord for money.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxv. 2) But why was a thief entrusted with the bags of the poor? Perhaps it was to give him no excuse of wanting money, for of this he had enough in the bag for all his desires.

THEOPHYLACT. Some suppose that Judas had the keeping of the money, as being the lowest kind of service. For that the ministry of money matters ranks below the ministry of doctrine, we know from what the Apostle says in the Acts, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. (Acts 6:2)

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxv. 2) Christ, with great forbearance, does not rebuke Judas for his thieving, in order to deprive him of all excuse for betraying Him.

ALCUIN. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of My burying hath she kept this: meaning that He was about to die, and that this ointment was suitable for His burial. So to Mary who was not able to be present, though much wishing, at the anointing of the dead body, was it given to do Him this office in His lifetime.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxv. 2) Again, as if to remind His betrayer, He alludes to His burial; For the poor ye have always with you, but Me ye have not always: as if He said, I am a burden, a trouble to thee; but wait a little, and I shall be gone.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. l. 13) He was speaking of His bodily presence; for in respect of His majesty, providence, ineffable and invisible grace, those words are fulfilled, Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. (Mat. 28:20) (c. 12.). Or thus: In the person of Judas are represented the wicked in the Church; for if thou art a good man, thou hast Christ now by faith, and the Sacrament, and thou shalt have Him always, for when thou hast departed hence, thou shalt go to Him who said to the thief, To-day shalt thou be with Me in paradise. (Luke 23:43) But if thou art wicked, thou seemest to have Christ, because thou art baptized with the baptism of Christ, because thou approachest to the altar of Christ: but by reason of thy wicked life, thou shalt not have Him alway. It is not thou hast, but ye have, the whole body of wicked men being addressed in Judas. (c. 14). Much people of the Jews therefore knew that He was there, and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom He had raised from the dead. Curiosity brought them, not love.

THEOPHYLACT. They wished to see with their own eyes him who had been raised from the dead, and thought that Lazarus might bring back a report of the regions below.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. l. 14) When the news of this great miracle had spread every where, and was supported by such clear evidence, that they could neither suppress or deny the fact, then, The chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus to death. O blind rage! as if the Lord could raise the dead, and not raise the slain. Lo, the Lord hath done both. He raised Lazarus, and He raised Himself.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxvi. 1) No other miracle of Christ excited such rage as this. It was so public, and so wonderful, to see a man walking and talking after he had been dead four days. And the fact was so undeniable. In the case of some other miracles they had charged Him with breaking the sabbath, and so diverted people’s minds: but here there was nothing to find fault with, and therefore they vent their anger upon Lazarus. They would have done the same to the blind man, had they not had the charge to make of breaking the sabbath. Then again the latter was a poor man, and they cast him out of the temple; but Lazarus was a man of rank, as is plain from the number who came to comfort his sisters. It vexed them to see all leaving the feast, which was now coming on, and going to Bethany.

ALCUIN. Mystically, that He came to Bethany six days before the passover, means, that He who made all things in six days, who created man on the sixth, in the sixth age of the world, the sixth day, the sixth hour, came to redeem mankind. The Lord’s Supper is the faith of the Church, working by love. Martha serveth, whenever a believing soul devotes itself to the worship of the Lord. Lazarus is one of them that sit at table, when those who have been raised from the death of sin, rejoice together with the righteous, who have been ever such, in the presence of truth, and are fed with the gifts of heavenly grace. The banquet is given in Bethany, which means, house of obedience, i. e. in the Church: for the Church is the house of obedience.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. li. 6) The ointment with which Mary anointed the feet of Jesus was justice. It was therefore a pound. It was ointment of spikenard (pistici) too, very precious. Πίστις is Greek for faith. Dost thou seek to do justice? The just liveth by faith. (Heb. 10:38) Anoint the feet of Jesus by good living, follow the Lord’s footsteps: if thou hast a superfluity, give to the poor, and thou hast wiped the Lord’s feet; for the hair is a superfluous part of the body.

ALCUIN. And observe, on the first occasion of her anointing, she anointed His feet only, but now she anoints both His feet and head. The former denotes the beginnings of penitence, the latter the righteousness of souls perfected. By the head of our Lord the loftiness of His Divine nature, by His feet the lowliness of His incarnation are signified; or by the head, Christ Himself, by the feet, the poor who are His members.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. li. 7) The house was filled with the odour; the world was filled with the good fame.

John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	John 12
1.	JESUS therefore, six days before the pasch, came to Bethania, where Lazarus had been dead, whom Jesus raised to life.	Jesus ergo ante sex dies Paschæ venit Bethaniam, ubi Lazarus fuerat mortuus, quem suscitavit Jesus.	ο ουν ιησους προ εξ ημερων του πασχα ηλθεν εις βηθανιαν οπου ην λαζαρος ο τεθνηκως ον ηγειρεν εκ νεκρων
2.	And they made him a supper there: and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that were at table with him.	Fecerunt autem ei cœnam ibi, et Martha ministrabat, Lazarus vero unus erat ex discumbentibus cum eo.	εποιησαν ουν αυτω δειπνον εκει και η μαρθα διηκονει ο δε λαζαρος εις ην των ανακειμενων συν αυτω
3.	Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of great price, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.	Maria ergo accepit libram unguenti nardi pistici pretiosi, et unxit pedes Jesu, et extersit pedes ejus capillis suis : et domus impleta est ex odore unguenti.	η ουν μαρια λαβουσα λιτραν μυρου ναρδου πιστικης πολυτιμου ηλειψεν τους ποδας του ιησου και εξεμαξεν ταις θριξιν αυτης τους ποδας αυτου η δε οικια επληρωθη εκ της οσμης του μυρου
4.	Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, he that was about to betray him, said:	Dixit ergo unus ex discipulis ejus, Judas Iscariotes, qui erat eum traditurus :	λεγει ουν εις εκ των μαθητων αυτου ιουδας σιμωνος ισκαριωτης ο μελλων αυτον παραδιδοναι
5.	Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?	Quare hoc unguentum non veniit trecentis denariis, et datum est egenis ?	δια τι τουτο το μυρον ουκ επραθη τριακοσιων δηναριων και εδοθη πτωχοις
6.	Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and having the purse, carried the things that were put therein.	Dixit autem hoc, non quia de egenis pertinebat ad eum, sed quia fur erat, et loculos habens, ea quæ mittebantur, portabat.	ειπεν δε τουτο ουχ οτι περι των πτωχων εμελεν αυτω αλλ οτι κλεπτης ην και το γλωσσοκομον ειχεν και τα βαλλομενα εβασταζεν
7.	Jesus therefore said: Let her alone, that she may keep it against the day of my burial.	Dixit ergo Jesus : Sinite illam ut in diem sepulturæ meæ servet illud.	ειπεν ουν ο ιησους αφες αυτην εις την ημεραν του ενταφιασμου μου τετηρηκεν αυτο
8.	For the poor you have always with you; but me you have not always.	Pauperes enim semper habetis vobiscum : me autem non semper habetis.	τους πτωχους γαρ παντοτε εχετε μεθ εαυτων εμε δε ου παντοτε εχετε
9.	A great multitude therefore of the Jews knew that he was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.	Cognovit ergo turba multa ex Judæis quia illic est, et venerunt, non propter Jesum tantum, sed ut Lazarum viderent, quem suscitavit a mortuis.	εγνω ουν οχλος πολυς εκ των ιουδαιων οτι εκει εστιν και ηλθον ου δια τον ιησουν μονον αλλ ινα και τον λαζαρον ιδωσιν ον ηγειρεν εκ νεκρων
10.	But the chief priests thought to kill Lazarus also:	Cogitaverunt autem principes sacerdotum ut et Lazarum interficerent :	εβουλευσαντο δε οι αρχιερεις ινα και τον λαζαρον αποκτεινωσιν
11.	Because many of the Jews, by reason of him, went away, and believed in Jesus.	quia multi propter illum abibant ex Judæis, et credebant in Jesum.	οτι πολλοι δι αυτον υπηγον των ιουδαιων και επιστευον εις τον ιησουν

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)

From: Isaiah 42:1--7

First Song of the Servant of the Lord
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(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
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[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).

Source: Daily Word for Reflection—Navarre Bible Commentary

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Monday of Holy Week

Readings at Mass

Here is my chosen one in whom my soul delights

'She had to keep this scent for the day of my burial'

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

John CHAP. 12