We have to “make room” for the Holy Sprit in our lives before we can be filled by it…The more we “pour out” our life, the more God can fill us with himself…The closer we are to God in union with him…The more he can use us…Ultimately satisfying the deepest need that exists within us all…That is how the “calculus of God” works

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John how a woman “wastes” costly perfume by pouring it on the feet of Jesus and drying his feet with her hair…”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”……Scripture tells us that this perfume was worth an entire years wages….This was an extravagant gift…And “people being people” - They complained and grumbled about what Mary had done….Why would Mary do this?….Was this simply an over reaction or frankly a waste?……Mary understood who was standing in front of her…Jesus is God and when one steps back and thinks about what Christ endured and sacrificed for us, no gift is too extravagant….A life lived for God and others is not only a beautiful way to live but it is the only way to live…Its time to pay it forward!…But before that happens, we must come to “see” as Mary did…She did not give ”what was left over”, she gave everything she had…And so must we

“I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.”

Far too many people view a life dedicated to God as “a waste”…I have even heard this among Catholics…They “think” somehow a person, whether a nun, a priest or frankly a pious lay person is “missing out”….Nothing could be further from the truth!…..Deep within each person is a desire for God…Until we satisfy this “thirst” for God, which is in each and everyone of us…We will NEVER be fully satisfied….The closer one unites himself / herself to God, the more fulfilled that person will be…Still don’t believe me?…….I have communicated in the past in these reflections that I did not get married until I was 43 years old….In my early twenties, I fully committed myself to living a Catholic life and being that I was single, that meant no sex before marriage….Finding a woman who saw the world like I did was no small task but God is faithful and he brought me my wife, whom I view to this very day as a treasure!…So back to my story…I remember when I turned forty I was still single and was at a childhood friend’s home celebrating his fortieth birthday.…I was siting next to his sister, who was trying to convince me that the life I had chosen was “a waste”…She was not trying to be mean, she was sincerely concerned for me….”Joe - You are missing out”…..Looking back on that conversation, I say to myself…”Missing out on what?”…..Now I do not want to throw stones at my friend’s sister, she meant well, however she simply does not understand nor has she encountered the Lord in a meaningful way….I think I can say that because if she did, she would not had said what she said…..Each of us was were created by God, to live for God and be with God for all eternity….The closer we get to God, the more fulfilled we will be….I have seen this in real time…Trust me!…If you have ever met a sincerely holy person in your life…Yes - Such people do exist - You will see what I am talking about….They are the most joyful, fulfilled people that walk this earth…Why would you not want that for yourself?…It is within your grasp!…This is why the example of Mary “wasting” all her expense perfume to anoint the feet of Jesus was not a “waste”…A life fully committed to the Lord, whether one is single, married or a consecrated religious is the best life one can lead - And you can led it!…Don’t believe the hype!….Jesus tells us point blank - “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”……Still don’t believe me? - Look for yourself…Seeing is believing

“I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, To open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.”

Today St John tells us in the Gospel from Mass about how a simple woman gave an extraordinary gift to God…We too can give such a gift - By giving of our very life, lived out in service to God and others….Each of us, believe it or not is called to “pour ourselves out”…This idea goes completely against the message of our materialistic and consumer culture, which “programs us” from the time we are young until the time we die….The more we “empty ourself” for God and others, the more room we make for the Holy Spirit to dwell within us…..Catholics pray novenas to the Holy Spirit and Christians call on the Holy Spirit…This is all well and good, but what we sometimes forget is, we have to “make room” for the Holy Sprit in our lives before we can be filled by it…The more we “pour out” our life, the more God can fill us with himself…The closer we are to God in union with him…The more he can use us…Ultimately satisfying the deepest need that exists within us all…That is how the “calculus of God” works