John 12:1-8
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus's feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."
This was always a rough passage for me. I never quite understood it. Shouldn’t we sacrifice so that the poor are cared for? Shouldn’t we give up earthly wealth so that the hungry should be fed? The naked, clothed? The immediate answer is yes. Of course. But… There was someone in the midst of the disciples who was going through tremendous suffering and will be in excruciating pain in a matter of days. Jesus. Mary saw this and was providing what comfort she could to Jesus’s bereft soul and, ultimately, his burial. Jesus was on the verge of his passion, where he gives up his power and comes under the strong, earthly arm of his oppressors.
When we are in the midst of despair, for any reason, it is we who need the care, we who require the attention. If the oxygen masks drop down, put it on yourself first, then your children. We cannot effectively serve others if we are in despair. We take care of ourselves, so that we can care for others. Because the work we are called to do isn’t necessarily easy. It’s not supposed to be easy. If we put ourselves in places and situations where we help those who need help, we will find ourselves with people who depend on us. Some desperately, some not. All of them suffering.
So, there may be suffering ahead of us. So, don’t be surprised by pain. Prepare yourself and be surprised by the immense healing power that keeps bursting forth like springs of fresh water from the healing, the joy, the respite we bring to others around us. Amen.