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.

John 12:3

John 12:1-11

Reflection

Jesus dines with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with a costly ointment, but Judas complains that the ointment could have been sold for a lot of money. Jesus tells him to leave her alone, for the ointment will be needed for his burial.

Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with such an expensive ointment; the proceeds from its sale could have been distributed to the poor. Yet she takes this precious gift and lays it at the feet of Jesus, humbling herself before him while presenting, in one sense, all she has.

Do we do the same, giving all we have to the Lord, laying it at his feet? He takes what we bring – our health, money, virtue, career, love – and perfects it according to his perfect will. By giving him everything, we entrust it to his care and ask him to do with it what he will.

Pray for the grace to have such radical trust in the Lord and humility to give him your entire life.

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Saint of the Day

St. Lidwina: 1380 – 1433

“You are afraid to suffer, but it were better to thank God for it, since the more you undergo down here, the less you will endure above. Grief is a portion of one’s heritage taken in advance from Purgatory.”   St. Lidwina