Today let us focus on St. Mary of Bethany. Just over a week ago, we heard of the other visit of Jesus to Bethany in which, after calling Martha and Mary to faith in Himself as the Resurrection and the Life, Our Lord raised their brother Lazarus from the tomb. In telling us of these events, the Gospel also notes that Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus as His friends. In today’s Gospel reading, we hear of how St. Mary showed herself a friend to Christ.
Today we hear no words from Mary, but we do hear the controversy that surrounds her. Judas accuses her of wasting what is precious (something that costs 300 days’ wages). A crime that the greedy may allow themselves to commit, but will never tolerate from others. In reply, we hear Our Lord come to St. Mary’s defense: “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.” (Jn 12:7-8) Jesus teaches us that nothing given to Him is too precious. Nothing given to Him is wasted.
Finally, we consider what St. Mary of Bethany does: “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.” (Jn 12:3) Three hundred days’ wages normally go to food and other basic costs for sustaining life in the ancient world. To purchase such oil would have required a very long time, indeed, of saving. Mary pours it all out in a moment. Christ is worth far more than three hundred days’ wages, and far more than the years of saving to purchase that ointment. As we behold Mary’s sacrifice poured out in anticipation of Christ’s sacrifice of His own life, let us ask St. Mary to pray for us that we may show Christ how precious His friendship is to us. Let us ask along with the psalmist: “How can I repay the Lord for all the great good done for me?” (Ps 116:12)