14 April 2025 -- Monday of Holy Week
Isaiah, 42, 1-7; John 12, 1-11
Homily
This account from the Gospel of Saint John is very similar to an account that Matthew and Mark place immediately before that of the Passion. The Gospel of John was certainly written long after the Synoptics, but it must accurately report an event that was told in the Churches that were under John's influence. The close friends of Jesus, particularly Martha, Mary and Lazarus, are so important in the Gospel of John that he could not have invented this story or even arranged it to put Martha, Mary and Lazarus at the heart of the story.
This only serves to emphasise the message of the story of Mark and Matthew. They did not distort the story. They simply stripped it of specific references to places and people to make the message more universal. In John, the scene takes place at the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. In Mark and Matthew, it is quite simply at Bethany, and the woman is not named; she is a universal figure. In John, it is Mary, Lazarus‘ sister. Mark and Matthew have Jesus’ head anointed to show his kingship. In John, Mary pours the perfume on Jesus' feet and wipes them with her hair in a gesture overflowing with affection. In Mark and Matthew, some protested against this waste; in John, it is Judas who protests and John explains that it is because he was a thief and had no concern for the poor.
The essence of the message is the same: ‘The poor you will always have with you’ and you must always come to their aid. But me you will not always have. So he announces that He is leaving. He announces His death. Now, His presence, in the very place where He had resurrected Lazarus a short time before, attracts the crowds; and the high priests, in their folly, decide to put Lazarus to death as well. There is yet another message here: The disciple is not greater than his master. What has been done to the master can also be done to the disciple. Whoever wants to be my disciple, says Jesus, let him take up his cross and follow me. Taking up one's cross is not a simple figure of speech. If one carries a cross, it is to be crucified on it.
Armand Veilleux