PostScript: Expressing our love
‘You will always have the poor with you.’ (John 12.1-8)
We are often encouraged to put ourselves in the place of biblical characters and to learn from them. If we put ourselves in Mary’s place today, it is important to remember that we, unlike Mary, are those in the position that Jesus spoke about who have a world where the poor and not Jesus are physically present.
This week's news
With Red Nose day this week, and most adults thinking that life is and will be harder for today’s children than for previous generations, we are given stark reminders that Jesus’ assertion that we would always have the poor with us is horribly true. In our own country the gap between rich and poor grows, and more children will soon be living in families struggling to live below the breadline (article 1 and article 2).
The new pope offers an example as to how to live under such extremes. As Archbishop in Buenas Aires, he chose to live his life as a bishop simply and alongside the poorer members of his flock.
Reflection
Pious reflections on this passage can hide from us the reality that we are indeed those who do not have Jesus physically amongst us and that therefore the claims of the poor to charity and, more importantly, to solidarity, in their fight for fairness and justice should not be avoided. Unlike Matthew and Mark, John names the woman who made this extravagant gesture and in doing so gives her an excuse: not only is she preparing Jesus’ body for burial, she is expressing her gratitude for his raising her brother Lazarus (John 11.44). If we allow this account from John’s Gospel to be augmented by Luke’s, she is grateful also for his allowing her, despite her sister Martha’s disapproval, to sit at his feet and learn (Luke 10.42), something very unusual. A rabbi in the later first or early second century said it was better to burn a copy of the Torah than give it to a woman.
Mary expressed her love to the Jesus she had with her while she still could: we, according to the famous sheep and goats parable in Matthew’s Gospel, (Matthew 25.37) are called to express our love for Jesus by showing practical care to those who need it. Not only are we called to express our love in this way, according to the parable, we shall be judged if we do not.
Jesus’ protection of this Mary from Judas’ accusation of extravagance is mirrored by Jesus’ later command to the other Mary in the garden on Easter morning, ‘Do not touch me’. The feet that need anointing have changed.
Nothing stopped Mary from expressing her love and gratitude to Jesus. ‘The poor’ in our society and in our world are not a lumpen mass, but individuals, and our desire to make a difference will grow as we learn to see they are just people exactly like ourselves. What we want for ourselves and our children, we should want for all God’s children.
Prayer
Use Sydney carter’s hymn, Said Judas to Mary, as a prayer for meditation and reflection after the reading of the Gospel.
Give people a copy of the words and if possible have the song playing in the background.
Encourage people to imagine themselves (Ignatian style) into the story and to engage with it individually in whatever way is most appropriate. It is best to explain this method of praying before you start rather than assume that everyone is familiar with it. It is also important to allow time for people to come out of their time of prayer gently afterwards.
Questions
In the last verse of Sydney Carter’s beautiful hymn about Mary anointing Jesus he wrote
‘The poor of the world are my body,' he said,
‘to the end of the world they shall be,
the bread and the blankets you give to the poor
you'll know you have given to me,’ he said,
‘you'll know you have given to me.’
- What do we think of this and what might we do about it?
- What role can we play as citizens of a democracy in helping to work to eliminate poverty both at home and abroad?
Action
It is often easier for us to engage with issues of poverty abroad than at home. Think about how you can find out about the poverty in your midst and how you might engage the attention of your church. Use the pastoral cycle, research, plan, act, reflect, and Southwark Diocese resources to engage properly with your church’s context and how you might make a different. But remember it is better to choose a small achievable action that you will be able to complete than anything too overwhelming.
Young People
Make sure you include young people in any learning and acting process that the church might undertake. The young people will have a specific understanding of the community from a particular perspective that adults can be totally unaware of.
Mary’s anointing Jesus’ feet was an extravagant shocking gesture. It would be shocking if it happened today. It didn’t stop her though. Think of times when embarrassment or fear of disapproval has stopped you showing your concern for someone else or held you back from developing a gift or talent. How can you support one another in doing what you know to be right for you and for others?
Joanna Penberthy is Vicar of Charlton Musgrove, Cucklington and Stoke Trister in Somerset.
Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by ROOTS for Churches Ltd.