29 Mar 2010, Monday of Holy Week

Reading I
Is 42:1-7

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,
Not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
A bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
Until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

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:
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,
To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

Gospel
Jn 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.

Meditation: Isaiah 42:1-7

We often think about the “good old days,” when everything seemed so much better and problems had simple solutions.


The people who first heard the words in this passage from Isaiah had good reason to wish for their own “good old days.” They were being held captive by the Babylonians, and word had come that the Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed. Even if they could go home, that homeland had become a desolate wasteland with very little to offer them.

All during Holy Week, we will read oracles about a “servant of the Lord” whose labors and sufferings will bring Israel to a better place. As we read these verses, we can tell that the restoration this servant would bring about wasn’t just a return to the good old days. God had more in store for his people than a nostalgic reliving of the past. They were destined to become a “covenant” to all the people of the earth, not just to live peaceably in their quiet little enclave (Isaiah 42:6). Israel had—and continues to have—a mission and purpose, and God will not rest until that mission is completed.

How much do you think about your own mission from the Lord? These words from Isaiah can sound very familiar to us—especially as we contemplate how Jesus fulfilled them in his passion and death. But Jesus came and died so that we could find the forgiveness, the grace, and the hope to get out and do our part in establishing justice on the earth (Isaiah 42:4).

As you begin your journey through Jesus’ passion this week, take some time to reflect on your own calling. How has God called you to be an agent of peace and reconciliation in your family or neighborhood? How can your witness to the joy of the resurrection change the atmosphere where you work? It can sound too optimistic to believe, but you really can make a difference in this world—especially as you let the Holy Spirit work in you and through you. Jesus’ death and resurrection are meant to do more than restore you to the “good old days.” They’re meant to empower you to bring forth the “even better days” that lie ahead.

“Jesus, you lead us to the fullness of the Father’s love through your death and resurrection. All praise, honor, and glory be to you for the life you give to us.”