Daily Homily 4-6-2020
Monday of Holy Week: John 12:1-12 (Loves Extravagance)
We see two ways of expressing love in the Gospel of John on this Monday of Holy Week. Martha and Mary both loved Jesus but they express it in different ways. Both expressions of their love are legitimate.
One way to express love is to show that love by concrete actions. Martha, we are told, goes about the household tasks, fixing a meal, pouring a drink, washing the dishes, doing the cooking as she entertains in her home. All these things are expressions of love for her guests.
I remember my parents pointing this kind of service when the spoke of how they loved me and my sister. They would say, “You should know that we love you because you have food on the table, a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in.” That was all very true, so I never questioned their love. Their thought was that you prove your love by concrete action. And that was reasonable.
But there is a love that goes beyond the reasonable. That is the love that might cause the lover to drive five hundred miles on the spur of the moment to see their beloved. Extravagant love is that love which cause one to write a poem or write a song dedicated to their lover. Such love motivates someone to buy a dozen roses. It is a love that is put on display for anyone to see even though it may be over the top or downright embarrassing.
This is the love Mary was expressing when she let her hair down in public which no woman would do at the time Jesus lived unless she wanted to ruin her reputation. She followed that up by anointing Jesus’ feet. A woman was not supposed to touch a man in this manner unless they were married. But Mary forgot herself in the moment. It is a sacred moment when we are on the receiving end of such love.
Jesus shows his extravagant love over and over the last days of his life and after his resurrection. He lays down his life for the world, forgives those who betray him, and he offers the greatest gift of all of us, resurrection.
This is week is going to be a week when our world is going through a passion event. Death will be all around us. We will be asked to perform concrete acts of love. Let us also not forget to tell those we are close to that we love them in extravagant ways. Mary felt free to do that when she knew Jesus’ passion was near. We need to drop our inhibitions and do the same. I hope we all of you will feel loved this week. Especially, I pray that you will feel the divine love of Jesus.
Dear Parishioners,
This is reminder of the services we will be livestreaming on Facebook this week. The services will be archived on our WEB page so that you can replay them when you want.
Tuesday: Daily Mass at 8 a.m.
Wednesday: Daily Mass at 8 a.m./Adoration at 8:30/ Benediction at 9:00 a.m.
Thursday: Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7 p.m.
Friday: Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 3 p.m.
Saturday: No services
Sunday: Easter Sunday Mass at 8 a.m.
I am pleased that we will be offering Daily Mass now on line. I thank Sam Maynard for the use of his sound equipment and Kate Schaefer and Fr. Matthew for being the technicians for our livestreaming.
I would rather be with you in person, but at least we still have a connection. Some suggestions for Holy Week might be that as you watch our service Holy Thursday you might take a moment after the Gospel to wash the feet of someone in your household. On Good Friday you might have a cross on display while you watch Mass and reverence it in some way as we pay reverence here in the Chapel. Little things can make the services more meaningful. I will try to offer other suggestions as the week progresses.
May our Blessed Mother and all the angels and saints intercede for us and protect us from the COVID 19 virus.
Fr. Mark