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.
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for the repose of the soul of Sean Brady and for comfort for his wife and 5 children.
May this Holy Week be a time of true blessedness for you. Today's refection comes from "The Imitation of Christ".
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Wherever you are, and wheresoever you turn, you are wretched unless you turn to God.
Why be disturbed if things do not succeed according to your plans and desires? Who is there that gets everything according to his likes? Neither I, nor you, nor anyone else on this earth. No man in this world is without some trial or affliction, not even a king or a pope. Who, then, has it the best? He who is willing to suffer for God's sake.
Half-witted and feeble-minded people often remark, "Look what a happy life that man has! See how rich, how great, how powerful and influential he is!" But if you have eyes for heavenly things you will perceive that all temporal goods are mere trifles. They are unpredictable and highly troublesome because you can never possess them without some anxiety and apprehension. Our happiness does not consist in having temporal goods in abundance; a moderate amount will suffice our needs ...
As long as we have this frail body without we cannot be without sin, nor live without anxiety or grief. We should indeed like to be free form all wretchedness, but because we have lost our innocence through sin, we have at the same time lost true happiness. Therefore, we must exercise patience and await God's mercy until the storms have passed, and until our mortal bodies are swallowed up by life.
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Take care and God Bless.
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