A reading from the prophet Isaiah (42:1-7)
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom my soul delights.
I have put my spirit upon him,
he will bring fair judgement to the nations.
He will not cry out or raise his voice,
his voice will not be heard in the street.
A crushed reed he will not break
nor will he snuff out a faltering wick.
He will establish fair judgement for the nations.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
until he has established fair judgement on earth
and the coastlands are waiting for his guidance.
Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and spread them out,
who hammered into shape the earth and what comes from it,
who gave breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk on it:
‘I the Lord have called you in righteousness,
I have grasped you by the hand and watched over you;
I have given you as a covenant for the people
and light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to free captives from prison,
and those who sit in darkness from the dungeon.
The songs of the suffering Servant are read on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday of Holy Week. This first song describes the Servant as the ‘chosen one’, chosen by God, who bestows the spirit on him. Three times it is stated that he is to bring ‘fair judgement’ (mishpat). His style is humble and respectful, not cruel and domineering. He does not break a ‘crushed reed’, nor extinguish a ‘faltering wick’. He will persevere because God has given him strength, for even the ‘coastlands’ await his guidance. The creator God then gives a solemn declaration: God has called this servant ‘in righteousness’ (tsedeq) and protected him. He has given him ‘as a covenant’, so that peoples will live in peace, and there will be harmony between nations. The light which the Servant brings must extend to the nations (goyim). He will ‘open the eyes of the blind’ and ‘free captives from prison’. Isaiah 61, read at the Mass of Chrism, will see a similar mission given to the one who says ‘the spirit of the Lord is upon me’. The poem prepares for the humility and universal mission of Christ to bring freedom, justice and peace.
Psalm 27 (26) This psalm proclaims that the Lord brings light and salvation.
A reading from the holy gospel according to 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 one of those at table. Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was filled with the scent of the ointment. Then Judas Iscariot – one of his disciples, the man who was to betray him – said, ‘Why was this ointment not 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 steal from the contents. So Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. You have the poor with you always, you will not always have me.’
A great crowd 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 planned to kill Lazarus as well, since it was on his account that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.
Only the fourth gospel reports an anointing of the feet of Jesus by Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, at their house in Bethany, on the day before he enters Jerusalem. Mark 14 and Matthew 26 recount an anointing of the head of Jesus at the house of Simon some days after his entry to the holy city. This event happens six days before the Passover and so is appropriately read on this day. Unlike Matthew’s story of the anointing, at which the disciples complain about the waste, here it is Judas who complains about the cost of the ointment. This adds to the negative portrayal of Judas, who is then described as a ‘thief’. The action of Mary, by contrast, will be remembered as an act of love. A ‘great crowd’ gathers, to see Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. Ironically and tragically the chief priests plot to kill Lazarus too.
While Jesus offers life, his opponents are intent on bringing death.
Pray for a spirit of life-giving generosity.