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Message of the Day
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When the will abandons what is above itself and turns to what is lower, it becomes evil—not because that is evil to which it turns, but because the turning itself is wicked. Therefore it is not an inferior thing which has made the will evil, but it is itself which has become so by wickedly and inordinately desiring an
inferior thing.
... St. Augustine (354-430), The City of God
Evil proceeds from a disordered will, which is informed by a disordered mind. Recollection is when the mind and will are focused in God; then, the greatest good will come forth from one's life.
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Readings of the Day
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Isaiah 42:1-7
Psalm 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14 John 12:1-11 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, since it was on his account that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in
Jesus. USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“Mary brought a pound of costly perfume made from genuine aromatic nard, with which she anointed Jesus’ feet. Then she dried His feet with her hair.” —John 12:3
St. Mary of Bethany chose the better part (Lk 10:42). She sat at
the feet of Jesus and listened to His words (Lk 10:39). Her sister St. Martha criticized her for not helping prepare the meal, but Jesus defended Mary (Lk 10:41-42).
Mary of Bethany chose the better part. To show her love for Jesus, she poured out on His feet several thousand dollars worth of perfume (Jn 12:3-5). Judas criticized her for such extravagant waste, but Jesus defended Mary (Jn 12:7). The Church, through its choice of today’s Eucharistic readings,
puts Mary of Bethany before us as a special example of the proper attitude toward Jesus and Holy Week. We should lavish our time, possessions, money, and lives on Jesus always — and even more so during Holy Week. After we realize that He poured out His life on Calvary for love of us, what else can we do? Prayer: Father, grant me the grace to destroy strongholds of the evil one this Holy Week (see 2 Cor 10:4). Promise: “I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.” —Is 42:6-7 Presentation Ministries
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Spiritual Reading
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Dilexi Te: On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ, by Pope Francis (completed by Pope Leo XIII), 2025.
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/20241024-enciclica-dilexit-nos.html
CHAPTER THREE
THIS IS THE HEART THAT HAS LOVED SO GREATLY
48. Devotion to the heart of Christ is not the veneration of a single organ apart from the Person of Jesus. What we contemplate and adore is the whole Jesus Christ, the Son
of God made man, represented by an image that accentuates his heart. That heart of flesh is seen as the privileged sign of the inmost being of the incarnate Son and his love, both divine and human. More than any other part of his body, the heart of Jesus is “the natural sign and symbol of his boundless love”. [28]
Venerating His Image
55. The heart, too, has the advantage of being immediately recognizable as the profound unifying centre of
the body, an expression of the totality of the person, unlike other individual organs. As a part that stands for the whole, we could easily misinterpret it, were we to contemplate it apart from the Lord himself. The image of the heart should lead us to contemplate Christ in all the beauty and richness of his humanity and divinity.
56. Whatever particular aesthetic qualities we may ascribe to various portrayals of Christ’s heart when we pray before them, it is
not the case that “something is sought from them or that blind trust is put in images as once was done by the Gentiles”. Rather, “through these images that we kiss, and before which we kneel and uncover our heads, we are adoring Christ”. [34] 57. Certain of these representations may indeed strike us as tasteless and not particularly conducive to affection or prayer. Yet this is of little importance, since they are only invitations to prayer, and, to cite an Eastern proverb, we
should not limit our gaze to the finger that points us to the moon. Whereas the Eucharist is a real presence to be worshiped, sacred images, albeit blessed, point beyond themselves, inviting us to lift up our hearts and to unite them to the heart of the living Christ. The image we venerate thus serves as a summons to make room for an encounter with Christ, and to worship him in whatever way we wish to picture him. Standing before the image, we stand before Christ, and in his presence, “love
pauses, contemplates mystery, and enjoys it in silence”. [35] 58. At the same time, we must never forget that the image of the heart speaks to us of the flesh and of earthly realities. In this way, it points us to the God who wished to become one of us, a part of our history, and a companion on our earthly journey. A more abstract or stylized form of devotion would not necessarily be more faithful to the Gospel, for in this eloquent and tangible sign we see how God willed to
reveal himself and to draw close to us. |
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