Monday Reflection

Daily Gospel Reflection, April 6^th 2020           

Gospel                                                                   JN 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.

Dear Friends,

            While I don’t want to overlook the great sacrifice Mary makes on Jesus behalf, I would like to look at Lazarus’ role in today’s Gospel.  This man had died, Jesus raised him from the dead, and now he and his family are dining with Jesus days before the Passover.  We can only imagine the conversations that were occurring between Lazarus and the people he would meet.  They may sound like this:

“Lazarus my good friend, I heard you died.” 

He responds, “I did. Can I tell you about Jesus who brought me back from the dead?” 

We can imagine the smile and the very animated fashion Lazarus would use telling everyone he can about Jesus who restored his life.  Who could keep that kind of story to themselves?  Lazarus would be drawn and compelled to tell everyone he could about the great power and compassion, Jesus showed to him and his sisters.  We know this is what was going on because the story of Lazarus’s resurrection has been so effective that many more are following Jesus, so much so, that the chief priests want to kill Lazarus.  He must have been a powerful witness to inspire other to want to kill him. 

            But, isn’t this our story as well?  We all have a story about how Jesus Christ saved us and gave us a new life. When we encounter Jesus in the sacraments, when we receive His Risen life and we were saved from our sinfulness.  We all have a story about how Jesus touched or transformed our lives. Maybe your experience includes how Jesus turned your destructive nature around.  We all have hurts, wounds, and pain that our God has endured with us and how he shared in our suffering. It is in those moments of brokenness that God has brought us comfort and consolation.  Or, maybe we have not witnessed or been able to identify how Jesus has been present in our life, and we wonder where our God is in our suffering? 

            During this pandemic we are all struggling.  This is the moment when we can share, with passion and a sense of hope how our God has been present to us in our suffering.  We can share how our God has given us new life – because we are not the same people we were a month ago, yes? Just as when Lazarus came out of the tomb, he was bound by the burial cloths and others helped set him free, we too can be set free from those things that bind us with the help of our God and the friends around us.  This Holy Week is a chance for us all to share how God has given us life and set us free.  Let’s tell the stories of his love, generosity, and sacrifice as we stay home and prevent the spread of this virus.  Let’s tell the stories of our families as we celebrate and struggle with our new reality.  Let’s pray that during this Holy Week as we tell our stories, the world will be drawn to believe in Jesus by the way he has given us His Risen Life during this trying time.