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Scripture~Mark 14.3-9 (CEV)
3Jesus was eating in Bethany at the home of Simon, who once had leprosy, when a woman came in with a very expensive bottle of sweet-smelling perfume. After breaking it open, she poured the perfume on Jesus' head. 4This made some of the guests angry, and they complained, "Why such a waste? 5We could have sold this perfume for more than three hundred silver coins and given the money to the poor!" So they started saying cruel things to the woman.
6But Jesus said: Leave her alone! Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. 7You will always have the poor with you. And whenever you want to, you can give to them. But you won't always have me here with you. 8She has done all she could by pouring perfume on my body to prepare it for burial. 9You may be sure that wherever the good news is told all over the world, people will remember what she has done. And they will tell others.
Comments
An unnamed woman~identified as Mary of Bethany in Matthew and John~expresses extravagant love for Jesus. He receives her expression, as she breaks a costly bottle with perfume and pours it over his head. The perfume amounted to about a year of wages.
Persons present grumble to the woman for acting, in their view, impractically. Jesus tells them to leave her alone, for she has done something beautiful for him.
The breaking of the bottle and pouring of the perfume signify important matters about Mary and us.
1) Like Mary, Divine Love is present in the sacred Spirit to break us open and inspire us to pour out our selves in love for others and the Divine.
2) Love does not place practicality before the beautiful; rather, in Love the two go together.
3) The bottle broken is also a symbol of the forms of our everyday lives and our religion that contains inherent potential of being a way to share Love.
Today, it is fashionable to talk about religion and spirituality as separate and, also, assigning religion or spirituality, or both, to a separate category apart from everyday existence.
Yet, in an incarnational spirituality, as is Christianity, nature, rite, physical bodies, traditions, relationships, social institutions, ... are Grace~means, when they are channels of blessing.
Suggested Reflection
Read prayerfully over the opening passage from Mark. Enter the story. What feelings does the story evoke? Whom do you identity most with? Why? How does the story challenge you? How does the story confirm and encourage you in your spiritual walk up to this point?
See next page for Invitation to writer's contemplative village, purpose of OneLife, data on ordering author's book and upcoming devotionals 2008, and material on citations.
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