Good morning good people!
May the Lord bless you with peace and blessing in this Holy Week.
We reflect on Isaiah 42:1-7 and John 12:1-11.
Pope Francis summarizes love to us: “True love is both loving and letting oneself be loved. It is harder to let ourselves be loved than to love.” The readings speak of gentleness as the fragrance of love.
The Lord loves us. Let us pass it on. A young nurse once cared for a dying man with no family. Every night, she would sing quietly to him.
One day, he asked, “Why do you care so much?” She replied, “Because someone once poured love on me when I thought I didn’t deserve it. Now, I pass it on.” When he passed away, his only possession was a note: “Your kindness was my final comfort. You reminded me I was still worth loving.”
Isaiah presents Christ as the gentle Servant to serve and liberate us, while John portrays Christ as the Lamb anointed for sacrifice. Both bring out the Paschal mystery: Jesus will be lifted up to draw all people to Himself.
The cost of true discipleship is not in saving for ourselves but in giving in love towards others. As we carefully walk through Holy Week, may we recognize Jesus in our midst in tenderness like Mary, who anointed the Lord with generosity of fragrant love without reservation.
It is our turn today to anoint Jesus with our service, mercy, and faith. “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” (Isaiah 42:1)
We have entered the most sacred days of Holy Week. The first reading from Isaiah introduces the Suffering Servant—gentle, chosen, Spirit-filled, and just. This Servant does not shout or break the bruised reed.
He is Christ, our Redeemer, who brings justice not through domination, but through love. The Gospel confronts us with two contrasting hearts: Mary’s, full of unmeasured love, and Judas’, full of selfish calculation.
Mary pours out costly perfume to anoint Jesus—a prophetic act of love that sees beyond appearances. Judas questions her gift—not out of concern for the poor, but because of his own hidden motives.
Love does not calculate. It gives completely. Love does not use. It uplifts. Sadly, today’s world often replaces love with lust, fidelity with fleeting pleasure, and genuine friendship with transactional connections.
When material gain becomes our measure, we stop seeing goodness in others. Even long-standing relationships are abandoned—not due to a lack of love—but due to unmet material or emotional expectations.
The truth is, there’s a little Judas in each of us—when we complain, calculate, or condemn for selfish reasons. Let us be vigilant, so we don’t commercialize spiritual efforts or spiritualize human suffering.
We are called, instead, to pour out love like Mary—freely, generously, and prophetically. May the Lord give us the courage to love.