Posted on 05/15/2013 2:27:43 AM PDT by markomalley
“The ideologue does not know what love is, because they do not know how to gift themselves,” Pope Francis said during the mass he celebrated in the Sanctae Marthae residence this morning. The mass was attended by a group of Vatican Museum employees and some students of the Pontifical Portuguese College of Rome. As always, a summary of the Pope’s homily has been published on the Vatican Radio website.
If we really want to follow Jesus - the Pope said – we must “live life as a gift” to give to others, "not as a treasure to be kept to ourselves." The Pope quoted the words of Christ: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." But Tuesday's liturgy, he noted, also presents us with another person: Judas, "who had the exact opposite attitude." And this, he explained, was because Judas "never understood what gift really means.”
"Let us think of that moment with the Magdalene, when she washed the feet of Jesus with nard, which was so expensive” – the Pope continued –. “It is a religious moment, a moment of gratitude, a moment of love. And he [Judas] stands apart and criticizes her bitterly: 'But ... this could be used for the poor!'. This is the first reference that I personally found in the Gospel of poverty as an ideology. The ideologue does not know what love is, because they do not know how to gift themselves."
Francis pointed out that Judas stood apart “in his solitude" and this attitude of selfishness grew to the point of his "betrayal of Jesus." He said those who love “give their lives as a gift", the selfish instead "safeguards his life, grows in this selfishness and becomes a traitor, but is always alone." However, those who "give their life for love, are never alone: they are always in the community, part of the family." The Pope warned that those who "isolate their conscience in selfishness," in the end "lose". This is how Judas ended up, the Pope said, he "was an idolater, attached to money".
“This idolatry has led him to isolate himself from the community of others: this is the drama of the isolated conscience. When a Christian begins to isolate themselves, he or she also insulates his or her conscience from the sense of community, the sense of the Church, from that love that Jesus gives us. Instead, the Christian who gifts his or her life, who loses it, as Jesus says, finds it again, finds it in its fullness. And those who, like Judas, want to keep it for themselves, lose it in the end. John tells us that 'at that moment Satan entered into Judas' heart'. And, we must say: With Satan the payback is rotten. He always rips us off, always!”.
How does he manage to come up with one wonderful little homily after another? I guess he must meditate a lot on the Gospels and also the teachings of the Church and lives of the Saints. He just seems to have these things at the tip of his tongue.
I imagine:
1 He knows and believes the scriptures thoroughly.
2 A lifetime of trying to live the Gospel, I imagine, would make it very real and pertinent to you!
3 A good heart will advise you on how to share what you have learnt through that life with others
Mel
You know the story!
The weekend before the Passion, Jesus went and stayed with His friend Lazarus (whom He had raised from the dead) and Lazarus' sisters Martha and Mary. Mary brought out a very expensive flask of ointment for the dead and applied it to Jesus' feet with her hair. The whole house was filled with the sweet smell of the perfume.
Judas Iscariot disapproves of this lavish act and complains that the flask of ointment could have been sold for 300 pence and "given to the poor". Keep in mind Judas holds the money purse for such things. Just like today's liberals, he is eager to control what others should do with their money and assets, all in the name of the poor.
"Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and having the purse, carried the things therein."
"Jesus therefore said: Let her alone, that she may keep it against the day of My burial. For the poor you have always with you; but Me you have not always."
Jesus says, "Let her alone."
Judas has appointed himself the arbiter of wealth and asset redistribution and moves to confiscate Mary's expensive flask "in the name of the poor".
And Jesus says, "Let her alone."
Jesus acknowledges the perfume is hers to do with as she (and her family) sees fit, and they have seen fit to use it to anoint their beloved Jesus.
He also said, "For the poor you have always with you."
Jesus is pointing out that in a free society, there will always be those with more and those with less. Ann put it this way, "It is impossible to have a free society wherein every person has exactly the same level of wealth. Someone has to be the business OWNER, and someone has to be the EMPLOYEE. Someone has to be the wage PAYER and someone has to be the wage EARNER."
A free market society where everyone is able to profit from their hard work and innovation- What a simple and beautiful concept!
Ann finishes her article with this sharp observation, "So, there you go. Economics as explained by our Blessed Lord in five little words (Pauperes enim semper habetis vobiscum.) while He was hanging out at His friends' house having supper the weekend before He died. And proof that Judas Iscariot was the intellectual father of Marxism and of scumbag politicians in general. "
ping
This is weird. I thought it was Mary Magdalene who washed His feet.
Luke 8:2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils.
John 11:2 It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
2 different Marys. Both showing reverence.
This is one of the most disheartening experiences of my life.
Mary Magdalene is described as "most loved", and the "apostle of the apostles"! She is with Jesus at the two most important times. It is Mary Magdalene that stays at the cross after others have fled and it is she who discovers Jesus is missing from the tomb! Mary is the first to realize his body was missing from the tomb, and was the first person to whom the resurrected Christ appears!
Within the four Gospels, the oldest historical record mentioning her name, she is named at least 12 times, more than most of the apostles. The Gospel references describe her as a courageous, brave enough to stand by Jesus in his hours of suffering, death and beyond.
That’s not why. It’s because of the two different accounts of the annointing.
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