Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

 Women as participants in the Divine

Mark 14:3-9
Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she had done will be told in remembrance of her.

 
Days before the Passover, while in Bethany, a woman does something that stirred up the disciples. She uses an expensive ointment to anoint Jesus’ head and some felt that this was a waste. The ointment could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus subtly points out their hypocrisy – they had all the time in the world to do something for the poor but instead they are complaining about a good act being done right in front of them. John 12:1-8 gives us more details into possibly this same event and reveals that Judas Iscariot just wanted the money to go into the common purse so he could steal from it. It is significant that they would feel the need to criticize the woman when they honestly didn’t care about the poor themselves.

There is a story of a parish in India situated in a metropolitan area. Near the entrance of the church many beggars would come and gather. One day the youth decided to do something about this situation. They wanted to go and invite the beggars to come and join them inside. The committee was not in favor of this though. “The beggars are not groomed, and the smell would be too strong,” they said. The youth declared that they would provide the resources for the poor to have a bath before service. No one could object, so they proceeded with their mission. The youth reached out to those who would gather there, made provisions for them to wash up, and even offered fresh clothes for them. This practice went on for a few weeks without any issues. All were able to come and worship together. After a few more weeks, the committee met again and decided to stop this practice. When the youth questioned why they would end such a good and promising avenue of ministry, one person said, “If we don’t send these people back out onto the streets, how else will our children learn to take care of the poor.” The hypocrisy of this statement was in line with the attitude of the disciples.

Neither Matthew nor Mark mentions the woman’s name, but Jesus does not want us to forget what she did. Her actions ought to be remembered. Our names may be forgotten but our love for Christ must be passed on from generation to generation. It must be a genuine love that cares for the very ones that God cares for.
Prayer
Father, help us to remember that love ought to be genuine. Enable us to love you as well as our neighbors. Amen.

Thought for the Day
Our acts of love will last longer than our proposed piety.


Rev. Larry Varghese
Vicar, Sehion Mar Thoma Church, Dallas TX

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