Relationship

Jesus therefore, six days before the pasch, came to Bethania, where Lazarus had been dead, whom Jesus raised to life. And they made him a supper there: and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that were at table with him. 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. Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, he that was about to betray him, said: Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to 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 that were put 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. 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. But the chief priests thought to kill Lazarus also: Because many of the Jews, by reason of him, went away, and believed in Jesus.
John 12:1-11 (Douay-Rheims Bible)

Prayer Reflection

Dear Father this morning when I read this Gospel, I couldn't write a thing about it. I tried all day long to ponder this precious moment in the life of your Son Jesus. When I reread it again this evening, it struck me about flowers from the other day. It was so powerful and poignant to smell hundreds of scented flowers that were not there. I didn't realize the depth of the message until it was recalled. Do we in our lives have moments where we are at odds with our Lord? Of course we do, but we in our stubborn way sometimes don't thank him or reconcile with him. It's a relationship all the same and in this reading Mary shows that relationship with Jesus by anointing His feet and wiping them with her hair, because she is thankful and she loves Jesus. I love him too and when I argue with him, I go to the one place where I too can kneel at his feet and anoint them with my thankfulness, or bath them with my tears of sorrow and dry them with happiness. Because in my relationship with Jesus I always seek to mend the hurt I might cause him. Or ask his forgiveness for my not understanding him better. Some of them didn't have that relationship with Jesus in the Gospels, some wanted only for themselves what they could get, but never give back in the relationship.