Isaiah 42:1-7

Each one of us is called to share in the ministry of God?s love to the nations. This is a tremendous privilege for us. It will also bring many challenges to our faith! Are we ready to walk the path of Jesus to Calvary and so share in His death in order to partake in His resurrection? Are we ready to embrace our cross of suffering, whatever it may be, in order to unite ourselves with Christ as He carries His cross. Let us pray for each other as we search for the grace to respond to these calls.

1 Here is my servant whom I uphold, My chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, 2 not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick He shall not quench, 4 until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for His teaching. 5 Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spreads out the earth with its crops, who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk on it. 6 I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

P S A L M 

Psalm 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14

R: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life?s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? (R) 2 When evildoers come at me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies themselves stumble and fall. (R) 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war be waged upon me, even then will I trust. (R) 13 I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD with courage;   be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD. (R)

G O S P E L 

John 12:1-11

With what do we anoint the body of Jesus Christ? I am not referring to His physical body that Mary had the privilege to soak with nard. I am referring to the opportunity we have to bless the Body of Christ, the Church, with the gifts and talents that God has given each one of us. If we do not use them for the sake of the Kingdom of God, we are practically stealing from the life of the Church through laziness, selfishness or deliberate malice. Let us seek to be generous in the way that we serve ? never holding anything back in reserve but giving all as Jesus did on the cross.

1 Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. 3 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. 4 Then Judas the Iscariot, one [of] his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, 5 ?Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days? wages and given to the poor?? 6 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. 7 So Jesus said, ?Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.? 9 [The] large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, 11 because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.

my reflections
think: Are we ready to walk the path of Jesus to Calvary and so share in His death in order to partake in His resurrection?

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God?s special verse/thought for me today______________________

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T O D A Y ? S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ______________________________________

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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1Chronicles 4-7

Criticisms are good. They help improve our lives. Criticisms are needed. They are like sign posts so that we do not get lost. Criticisms are important. Without them we can be complacent or worse, mediocre. But criticisms are good, needed and important only when they are constructive.
      Criticisms are constructive depending on a number of things. Among them is the motivation of the critic. Why does the critic criticize?
      Mary, anointing the feet of Jesus with expensive perfumed oil, was criticized for having wasted such a costly ointment. She was judged to have been inconsiderate of the poor while overwhelmingly concerned about Jesus. Judas Iscariot was Mary?s critic.
      Judas Iscariot, though one of the Twelve, betrayed Jesus for the price of 30 pieces of silver and, according to John, sometimes helped himself to the group?s funds. He was a thief.
      Two disciples. One loved Jesus. The other loved money. The ?money-lover? criticizes the ?Jesus-lover.? Does the criticism stand?
      When Judas criticized Mary, was he really sincere in his sudden concern for the poor? Concern for the poor is not developed overnight. Concern for the poor comes with regular immersion in their actual poverty. When Judas criticized Mary for anointing the feet of Jesus rather than helping the poor, was he himself really convinced of what he was protesting against? Bad habits are hard to break and stealing is a bad habit.
      Judas had no love for the poor. If he had, he would not have helped himself with the group?s resources for helping the poor. Judas had love for money though. In the light of his ill-repute, Judas could have had his eyes more on having a share in the sales of the ointment rather than on sharing the sales with the poor. If given the chance, he might have stolen even that which he claimed to have been better used for the needy.
      We are suspicious of Judas? criticism. His motives had always been suspicious. But we should not be quick and self-righteous in condemning Judas. For all our criticisms against one another, Judas may be just as quick to condemn us all. He could be suspicious of us, too. Fr. Bobby T.

REFLECTION QUESTION:
When criticized, do I respond or react? When I criticized, do I construct or destruct?

Holy Spirit, Holy Fire, consume all that is impure in my motives. Cleanse my heart as fire cleanses the elements of the earth. May everything I say and do be always for the good of all. Amen.

St. Fulbert, bishop confessor, pray for us.