Fr Paul reads from John’s Gospel (12: 1-11), where Jesus’ feet were anointed by Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, in Bethany.

Today we hear in this Gospel that Jesus has His feet anointed with costly ointment at Bethany. This image gives us a feel of the scent of the ointment filling the whole house as this takes place, Fr Paul says. In Mark and Matthew’s Gospels the woman who does this is not named but in John’s Gospel, which we read from today, we know that she is Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus.

Mary’s act of loving and personal affection and devotion to Jesus is treasured and this act was appreciated by Jesus after all of the controversies in the temple which we heard of last week. Fr Paul says that you can sense the tension in Jesus’ and in his response to Judas.

Fr Paul shares that we are beginning our Holy Week journey and are now placing ourselves in the footsteps of Jesus. Fr Paul asks to let us go forward this week, mindful of the true meaning of Easter, the death and resurrection of Jesus.