Monday, March 21, 2016

Reflection for March 21, Monday of Holy Week; John 12:1-11

Gospel: John 12:1-11
Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.  Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions. So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.
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Reflection:
A wealthy woman once said: I love money and I can’t live without it. Do you also love money and can’t you also live without it?

The love for money is the root of all evils we saw this in Judas, he betrayed Jesus all because of his love for money(Matthew 26:15). The same thing in the gospel; Judas criticized Mary for anointing the feet of Jesus with expensive perfume. Judas said “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor (John 12:5)?” However, this statement of his was simply a charade for he is a thief of the highest degree.

Those who love money will never have enough of it. They will continue to amass it with greed and they will do every possible way (even ways that are contrary to morals) just to have it. Not knowing that at the end their greed for amassing money will eventually destroy them. The same greed will be their ticket to the kingdom of the evil one.

 Money is not everything! Money can buy us a house but not a home, money can buy us books but not knowledge. Money can bring us laughter but not true happiness, money can buy us temporary friends but not true friends who will be there through the highs and lows of our life. Money can buy us sex but not love and there are many more things that money can buy but will not give us true peace and happiness.

Do you allow yourself to be enslaved by money? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

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