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A reading from the book of Isaiah. Here
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is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen
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one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I
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have put my spirit. He shall bring forth
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justice to the nations, not crying out,
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not shouting, not making his voice heard
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in the street. A bruised reed he shall
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not break, and a smoldering wick he
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shall not quench until he establishes
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justice on the earth. The coastlands
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will wait for his teaching. Thus says
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God, the Lord, who created the heavens
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and stretched them out, who spreads out
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the earth with its crops, who gives
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breath to its people and spirit to those
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who walk on it. I, the Lord, have called
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you for the victory of justice. I have
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grasped you by the hand. I formed you
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and set you as a covenant of the people,
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a light for the nations, to open the
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eyes of the blind, to bring out
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prisoners from confinement, and from the
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dungeon those who live in. The word of
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the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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A reading from the Holy Gospel according
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to John. Glory to you, O Lord. 6 days
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before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany,
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where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised
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from the dead. They gave a dinner for
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him there, and Martha served while
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Lazarus was one of those reclining at
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table with him. Mary took a liter of
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costly perfumed oil made from genuine
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aromatic nard and anointed the feet of
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Jesus and dried them with her hair. The
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house was filled with the fragrance of
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the oil. Then Judas the Escariat, one of
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his disciples and the one who would
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betray him, said, "Why was this oil not
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sold for 300 days wages and given to the
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poor?" He said this not because he cared
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about the poor, but because he was a
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thief and held the money bag and used to
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steal the contributions. So Jesus said,
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"Leave her alone. Let her keep this for
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the day of my burial. You always have
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the poor with you, but you do not always
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have me." The large crowd of the Jews
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found out that he was there and came,
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not only because of him, but also to see
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Lazarus, whom he had raised from the
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dead. And the chief priests plotted to
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kill Lazarus, too, because many of the
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Jews were turning away and believing in
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Jesus because of him. The Gospel of the
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Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the
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aroma of pure nard filled the whole
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house. A perfume so intense, so
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penetrating that it was impossible to
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ignore. 300 dinari, a year's wages,
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poured at Jesus's feet in a gesture that
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left everyone paralyzed. Some in
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admiration, others in indignation.
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This is the scene that today's gospel
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presents to us. A moment of breathtaking
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and controversial beauty that invites us
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to reflect on the true meaning of
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devotion and service. Mary of Bethany
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did not say a word. She did not make an
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eloquent speech about her faith. She did
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not proclaim her pious intentions. She
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simply acted. She broke the alabaster
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jar, poured out the precious oil, and
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used her own hair to wipe Jesus' feet.
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This is love expressed not in empty
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words, but in concrete, costly,
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extravagant action. But before we delve
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deeper into this act of radical
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devotion, let us turn our attention to
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the first reading where the prophet
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Isaiah presents us with the mysterious
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figure of the servant of the Lord. Here
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is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen
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one in whom I delight. These words would
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echo centuries later at the baptism of
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Jesus when the father's voice
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proclaimed, "This is my beloved son in
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whom I am well pleased." The portrait
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Isaiah paints of this servant is
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fascinating and paradoxical. He is
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invested with the spirit of God, called
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to establish justice on earth. Yet his
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methodology is surprisingly gentle. He
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will not cry out or raise his voice, nor
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make it heard in the streets. He will
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not break a bruised reed or quench a
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smoldering wick. What an extraordinary
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contrast to the messianic expectations
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of the time. The people expected a
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powerful liberator, a conquering king
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who would crush Israel's enemies with an
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iron fist. Instead, Isaiah presents us
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with a servant who is both powerful and
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delicate, strong and compassionate,
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capable of establishing justice without
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destroying the weak and wounded. This
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image of the servant who does not break
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the bruised reed is deeply moving. Think
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of the reads that grow along river
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banks. When a reed is bruised, it seems
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useless, disposable. The normal reaction
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would be to pull it up and throw it
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away. But the servant of God does not do
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that. He preserves, protects, heals, and
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the smoldering wick. When a lamp is
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almost extinguished, producing more
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smoke than light, the temptation is to
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extinguish it completely and replace
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[music] it. But again, the servant of
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God chooses a different path. He
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protects that small flickering flame,
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nurtures it, allows it to grow again
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until it becomes a bright light. How
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many of us at some point in our lives
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have felt like that bruised reed or that
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smoldering wick, wounded, broken, almost
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hopeless, producing more smoke of pain
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and confusion than light of joy and
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purpose. It is precisely to these that
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Jesus comes. It is to these that he
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extends his hand of healing and
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restoration. Now, let us return to the
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scene in the house at Bethany. Mary had
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experienced this restorative touch of
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Jesus. Her sister Martha tells us
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elsewhere that Jesus raised her brother
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Lazarus from the dead. She knew the
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transformative power of Christ in her
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own life and family. And her response
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was this extravagant devotion, this love
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poured out without measure. The perfume
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Mary used was pure nard imported from
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India, extremely valuable. It was
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probably the family's most precious
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possession, perhaps kept for special
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occasions or as a kind of financial
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insurance. and Mary poured it all out.
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Not just a few drops, but the entire
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flask at Jesus's feet. This gesture
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speaks volumes about priorities and
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values. Mary understood something that
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many around her did not. That no earthly
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treasure can compare to the value of
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knowing and honoring Christ. She chose
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what is best and it would not be taken
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from her. Judas, on the other hand,
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represents a completely different
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perspective. His objection seems
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reasonable on the surface. Why wasn't
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this perfume sold for 300 dinari and the
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money given to the poor? How often do we
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ourselves make similar calculations?
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Is this investment of time in prayer
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worthwhile when there is so much work to
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do? Should I really give this tithe when
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I have so many bills to pay? Do I need
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to forgive this person when they hurt me
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so much? But John reveals the truth
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about Judas. He said this not because he
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cared about the poor, but because he was
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a thief. Judas wasn't really concerned
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about the poor. He was concerned about
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himself, about what he could gain from
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the situation. His apparent piety masked
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a corrupt heart. This contrast between
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Mary and Judas is instructive. Mary
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represents authentic devotion, costly,
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extravagant, without selfish
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calculations. Judas represents false
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religiosity, seemingly pious, but
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fundamentally selfish. One loves Jesus
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for who he is. The other sees Jesus as a
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means to his own ends. Jesus defends
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Mary, saying, "Leave her alone. She has
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kept this for the day of my burial."
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What prophetic words! Jesus knew his
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death was near. He was consciously
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walking toward the cross. And at this
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moment, before the betrayal, before the
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denial, before the crucifixion, Mary
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offers an act of pure love that
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anticipates and honors his imminent
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sacrifice. The connection between the
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two readings becomes clearer. Now the
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servant Isaiah describes the one who
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does not break the bruised reed or
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quench the smoldering wick is the same
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Jesus who accepts Mary's devotion, who
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allows a woman to touch him and honor
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him in a culture that would disapprove
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of such intimacy. He is the
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compassionate servant who sees not
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Mary's frailty but the sincerity of her
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heart. And this same servant is about to
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become himself, the bruised reed, the
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smoldering wick. On the cross, he will
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be broken by our sins, his light
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seemingly extinguished by death. But in
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this apparent weakness, he will
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establish true justice. In this apparent
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death, he will bring eternal life. He
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will be a light unto the nations and
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liberation of the captives, not through
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military force, but through sacrificial
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love. My dear brothers and sisters,
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these readings confront us with profound
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questions about our own faith and
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devotion. Are we like Mary offering our
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extravagant devotion to Christ or like
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Judas making selfish calculations about
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what we can gain from religion? Jesus
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does not call us to a calculated
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religiosity where we carefully measure
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how much time, money, or energy we are
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willing to invest in our relationship
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with him. He invites us to an
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extravagant love. A love that pours out
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without measure. A love that considers
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everything as loss compared to the
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supreme value of knowing him. And this
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love is not merely vertical directed
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toward God. It manifests itself
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horizontally in our relationships with
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others. When we truly experience
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Christ's restorative love, when we
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recognize that he did not break our
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bruised reed, that he did not quench our
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smoldering wick, we are transformed.
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We become people who treat others with
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the same compassion we receive. How
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often are we quick to break the people
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around us? How quickly do we discard
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those who disappoint us, who don't meet
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our expectations, who seem cracked or
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smoldering. But Jesus' way is different.
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He calls us to be agents of healing and
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restoration, not destruction and
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discard. Think about the relationships
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in your lives. Is there someone you are
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ready to discard? A difficult family
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member, an irritating colleague, a
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friend who has let you down. The spirit
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of God which rested on the servant in
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Isaiah is upon you, too. You are called
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not to break the bruised reed, not to
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quench the smoldering wick. This doesn't
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mean tolerating abuse or allowing others
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to manipulate us. It means approaching
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even difficult situations with the same
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compassion and patience that Christ
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demonstrated towards us. It means seeing
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the potential for restoration where
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others see only ruin. It means being a
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light of hope in a world that is often
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quick to condemn and discard.
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And what about our personal devotion to
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Christ? What are we hoarding in our
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alabaster jars that we need to break
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open and pour out at Jesus' feet?
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Perhaps it's our time so carefully
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guarded and scheduled that there's no
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room left for prayer and worship.
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Perhaps it's our financial resources
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which we control so tightly that we
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can't be generous with others. Perhaps
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it's our pride, our need for control,
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our reluctance to fully trust God. Mary
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teaches us that true devotion is
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extravagant. It doesn't calculate the
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cost. It simply loves. And this love
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isn't just an internal feeling. It
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manifests itself in concrete and costly
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action. The aroma of Mary's perfume
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filled the whole house. Similarly, when
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our devotion to Christ is genuine and
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extravagant, it cannot be hidden. It
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permeates our lives, affects our
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relationships, influences our decisions,
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and transforms our community. And note
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that Mary used her hair to wipe Jesus's
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feet. In the culture of that time, a
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woman did not let her hair down in
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public. It was considered improper, even
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scandalous. But Mary didn't care what
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others would think. She was completely
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absorbed in her devotion to Christ. How
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often is our worship limited by concern
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for what others will think? How often is
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our generosity restricted by fear of
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judgment? How often is our obedience to
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God compromised by the desire for social
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approval? Today [music] we are
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challenged to break our alabaster jars
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to pour out our devotion at Jesus' feet
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without fear or reservation. We are
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called to be like the servant of Isaiah,
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strong yet compassionate, powerful yet
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gentle, establishing justice without
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destroying the weak. And remember, the
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same Jesus who accepted Mary's devotion,
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who defended her extravagant action
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against critics is here with us today.
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He sees our hearts. He knows our
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struggles. He will not break our bruised
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reed. He will not quench our smoldering
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wick. Instead, he will restore us, renew
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us, empower us to live lives of
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extravagant love and compassionate
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service. May the aroma of our devotion
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to Christ fill not only this house of
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worship, but every space we occupy, our
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homes, our workplaces, our communities.
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May we be known not for our careful
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calculations and measured religiosity,
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but for our extravagant love and
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boundless compassion. May we hear Jesus
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words about us just as he spoke them
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about Mary. Truly I tell you, wherever
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this gospel is proclaimed throughout the
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world, what she has done will also be
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told in memory of her. May the grace of
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our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
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the Father, and the fellowship of the
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Holy Spirit be with you all now and
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St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
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battle. Be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil. May
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God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
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thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by
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the power of God, cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
