Scripture reading: John 12:1-11 11:45-56

Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there; Martha waited on them and Lazarus was among those at table. Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was full of the scent of the ointment.Then Judas Iscariot - one of his disciples, the man who was to betray him - said,

'Why wasn't this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor?'

He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he was in charge of the common fund and used to help himself to the contributions.

So Jesus said,

'Leave her alone; she had to keep this scent for the day of my burial.
You have the poor with you always, you will not always have me.'

Meanwhile a large number of  Jews heard that he was there and came not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. Then the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus as well, I since it was on his account that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.

Short Reflection: Targeting good people 

People of good will have been targeted for ridicule, sarcasm, violence and even death simply because they believed in high principles or humanitarian concerns or in the name of Jesus and acted accordingly. Lazarus was in danger because of his closeness to Jesus and because he was a living breathing witness to Jesus power over life itself.

As Jesus said,

“It is not the one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21. St James in his practical letter reminds us. 'Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead. You say you have faith and I have good deeds; I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you my good deeds - now you prove to me that you have faith without any good deeds to show. Faith without good deeds is useless.' I James 218-20

We can ‘believe’ all the doctrines of the church perfectly, spell out their logic, know it by heart but still never trust God and go on treating others with disregard, distain, even hatred. There lies the rub. It is not so much a question of having the name of Jesus written large on our foreheads but in our hearts. It is how we treat each other, including serious sinners.  It is all about caring, reaching out, supporting, understanding and forgiving even good people their good deeds. There is no room for this type of hypocracy in our faith. If our faith does not take over our heart, it has not really taken hold in us. That is how some people in powerful positions can persecute others for their faith - this is as true for catholic bishops, priests, religious and laity alike, as everybody else.

Story: A shock at Taize 

At the entrance to the Church of Reconciliation at Taize, which was built by Germans as an act of reparation for the atrocities of World War II, is the inscription:

'Be reconciled all you who enter here,
parents and children,
husbands and wives,
believers and those who cannot believe,
Christians and their fellow Christians.'

(Kenneth Payne, What shall I say, www.columba.ie)

Today's prophet: A no-name Prophet

In Ravensbruck, an unknown prisoner and prophet wrote this terrific forgiving prayer on a piece of wrapping paper and left it on the body of a dead child.

Oh Lord,
remember not only the men and women of good­will,
but also those of ill-will.

But do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted on us;
remember the good effects we have brought,
thanks to this suffering
- our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility, our courage,
our generosity,
- the greatness of heart which has come out of this.

When they come to judgement,
- let all the fruits we have borne be their forgiveness.' 
 
There is good and bad tendencies in everyone. God can use even the bad actions of people to achieve good. We need to leave room for that in our lives too. 

A gentle call to action

Today consider how you can reach out in compassion to someone in their need –
-a neighbour,
-a beggar on the street,
-a homeless person,
-a person who may have hurt you in the past 
-a person released from prison who is trying to get a fresh start,
-a charity shop helping the needy of Hait, Uganda, Ireland,

Holy Week draws us to the end of our Lenten penances on Thursday,
and fills us with hope in Jesus’ resurrection.

Prayer

Jesus, 

help us in life to always search for the good in people.

Your death and resurrection point the way to what will happen to us in death.

In bad times give us confidence and faith. In good times give us hope and joy.

At all times give us love.

Amen

Prayer image of the Day.

"Leave her alone,
she had to keep the scent for the day of my burial". ........John 12:1-11

 To regret one's own experiences is to arrest one's own development.
To deny one's own experiences is to put a lie into the lips of one's own life.
It is no less a denial of the soul.

Clergymen and people who use phrases without wisdom
sometimes talk of suffering as a mystery.
It is really a revelation.

One discerns things one never discerned before.
One approaches the whole of history from a different standpoint
......Oscar Wilde, De Profundis