The Bible

 

John 12:1-8 : An Anointing by Mary

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1 Then six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

2 So they made him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him.

3 Mary, therefore, took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.

4 Then Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, one of his disciples, who would betray him, said,

5 "Why wasn't this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the poor?"

6 Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having the money box, used to steal what was put into it.

7 But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial.

8 For you always have the poor with you, but you don't always have me."

Commentary

 

An Anointing by Mary

By Junchol Lee


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In John 12, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anoints the feet of Jesus with a pound of costly oil. Jesus accepts this as an act of love and devotion, but Judas Iscariot is upset by Mary's act. Judas argues that it is a waste to use oil in such a way, and it would have been better to sell it and spend the money for the poor. Love of God and love of the neighbor, how do these two important loves relate one to another?

(References: Arcana Coelestia 482)