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Gospel Reading for March 30, 2026 – John 12: 1-11
PRICELESS
Monday of Holy Week
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.
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As John noted, Judas was not truly concerned about the poor; his interest was in the money. In contrast, Mary had every reason to be deeply grateful. Her brother Lazarus had been raised back to life by Jesus, even after four days in the tomb. Martha herself had lamented, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:1–44).
Through this miracle, the siblings were given the precious gift of more time together. For those of us who have experienced the loss of a loved one, it is easy to imagine how different life might feel if that person had not died. Grief is never easy, and so we can only begin to understand the depth of Mary’s gratitude toward Jesus.
Yet, how often do we take for granted the goodness shown to us and the blessings we receive each day? We wake up alive, yet rarely pause to give thanks. We assume there will always be food on the table, and we overlook countless other blessings in our lives.
Gratitude is PRICELESS. The cost of the perfume did not truly matter—what mattered was Mary’s love, her devotion, and the sincerity of her offering.
Lord Jesus, we thank you for the suffering and death you willingly endured so that we might be saved from eternal loss. May we express our gratitude not only in words, but by striving each day to faithfully follow you!
