“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”

“We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.” - Brother Lawrence (1614 – 1691 Carmelite Lay Brother)

Gospel Text: (JN 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.

In his short lifetime on earth Jesus could not do everything but he did do something. None of us can do everything, but each of us can do something. Jesus spelled out the course. Jesus set the pace. Now we, by our words, our actions and our enthusiasm are to be Christ in action today. We are to give light to those living in ignorance and fear. We are to help free those shackled by selfishness and sin. We are to wipe out oppression with the power of love.

If the task seems intimidating, we find our strength in today’s Psalm response from Mass, “The Lord is my hope and my salvation; whom should I fear.” (Psalm 27:1)

Let’s do it!