Daily Reflection Monday of Holy Week

Saint John the evangelist tells us that Mary washed the feet of Jesus using a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard. And the fragrance of the oil filled the room. There is something almost scandalous about this. At least Judas thinks so. However, Jesus welcomes Mary’s generosity. This dramatic scene must have been a memorable one for the early Christians. It is one of the few stories that is recorded in each of the four gospels.



Mary, who washed Jesus’ feet, is the sister of Martha and Lazarus. The passage follows immediately the raising of Lazarus. That miracle fueled the anger of the chief priests toward Jesus and they became even more determined to kill him. It was the last week of Jesus’ life on earth, with the Passover coming in six days. Mary’s act became a foreshadowing of his death. This gesture of respect symbolizes his actual burial.



The costly nard may seem scandalous to Judas. Although John explains the hypocrisy of his accusation. To be clear, it is not about the money. Rather, it is about one’s devotion to Jesus Christ. The expensive ointment represents Mary’s giving of herself to the Son of God. We find an even more dramatic version of this story in Saint Mark’s Gospel. There the woman breaks the jar of precious ointment, showing that she is willing to give everything to God; she held nothing back.



It makes me wonder: Is there anything that I hold back from God?



P.S. If you are interested in comparing the four gospel stories of the woman anointing Jesus, please see: Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:36-51, and John 12:1-11.