The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Bernard Espiritu SVD – New Zealand
Holy Monday in Holy Week
As the Church sets out to journey with Jesus during this holiest week of the Liturgical Year, we are presented with the gospel story of Jesus in Bethany, in the house of his friends Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Bethany, according to St Jerome, means the “House of affliction” or “poor-house” – a small village that popularly welcomed and cared for the destitute and sick pilgrims going to Jerusalem.
We are awed contemplating the presence of Jesus, the Healer, in Bethany where he dines at table with Lazarus, and his feet anointed with an expensive nard oil by Mary who has a profound insight into Jesus’ heart.
That anointing is both a gesture of hospitality and an act of consecration. Kings, like David, were anointed to confirm their kingly vocation. The feet represent the steps, the direction one takes in life. The anointing of Jesus’ feet is an affirmation of the sanctity of Jesus’ journey, his salvific walk to Jerusalem. It may also be an expression of Mary’s faith. She understands that Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem falls within God’s plan.
As we begin our journeying with Jesus this Holy Week, we ask if the things we continue daily truly contribute to our personal salvation history.
Do I have a place I can call as my “Bethany” – where I am welcomed and get myself reinvigorated, or even experience healing as I continue my life’s pilgrimage? Do I have friends who welcome me and even affirm my dreams?
Or from another perspective: Do I provide a “Bethany” to the “poor” and the “sick” who are within my reach? Besides, Jesus said: “You always have the poor with you.” Am I a friend who can support the dreams of people given to my care?
