REFLECTION AND PRAYER
Day Thirty-Five of Lent
“It is Finished”
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. John 19:30
These words are of great relief to Jesus, His dear mother, and hopefully to all of us. “It is finished.” Jesus’ suffering had come to an end. His “thirst” was quenched by sour wine, a symbol of fallen humanity entering His very body. He had entered into all suffering, both interiorly and exteriorly, and now He was ready to enter into death itself. He spoke His final words and handed over His spirit to the Father.
As our Blessed Mother looked on, heard her Son speak His final words, and breathe His last, she would have felt a sense of relief. Jesus’ long mission of salvation had been accomplished. Death was destroyed and now she only had to wait for His Resurrection.
Our Blessed Mother knew this was not the end. She knew that her Son would rise. He had taught many times “that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days” (Mark 8:31). Though the Apostles and other disciples did not understand this teaching, our Blessed Mother did. She witnessed His rejection, His death, and now turned her eyes toward His promised Resurrection.
This passage also states that Jesus “handed over His spirit.” His life was not taken from Him. His death was a free choice by which He gave Himself over to death. He chose to enter into the ultimate effect of sin, death itself, so as to redeem death and make it the door to eternal life. The destruction of death was accomplished by God, the source of life, subsuming it into Himself. God wanted to come close to us by becoming man. He came so close to us that He allowed man to do Him violence. But the last chapter of Christ’s life was yet to be written. His entrance into new life was about to begin.
These words of Jesus must take on great significance in our own lives. We must see ourselves standing by the Cross with our Blessed Mother and hear Jesus speak these words to us, personally. We must allow our Lord to look into our souls and say to us, “It is finished.” Jesus speaks these words to each one of us. He says, “Your salvation is accomplished. My death has destroyed your own eternal death. My final word of victory has been spoken.” As we ponder this sacred scene and hear these final words, we must seek to allow them to transform our very lives.
Reflect, today, upon whether you are attentive to these words of our Lord in your own life. Do you allow Him to apply His saving Sacrifice to your sins? Have you internalized this statement of promise from our Lord? Have you allowed the finality of His death to unite with your own sin? Reflect upon these three little words, this day, and allow the handing over of our Lord’s Spirit to take hold of you and transform your life.
My dearest Mother, as you gazed intently at your Son, you heard Him announce that He had accomplished His mission. It was finished. He was faithful to the end. And though your heart was filled with sorrow as He died before your eyes, your spirit once again rejoiced as you witnessed the gift of salvation being accomplished for all humanity.
My loving Mother, pray for me that I may listen attentively to your Son as He speaks these sacred words. May I hear Him say to me, “It is finished! I have destroyed the effect of your sin. Death is no more.”
My saving Lord, from the Cross You announced the fulfillment of Your divine mission. You proclaimed that You had destroyed death itself by the free offering of Your life. Help me to listen to You speak these words to my heart and to be open to the unfathomable gift of new life accomplished by Your willing Sacrifice.
40 Days Journey with Our Lord
Day Thirty-Five: Devotion
The Gospel for this Monday of Holy Week takes us to the day before Palm Sunday when Jesus was in Bethany, just a short distance from Jerusalem, at the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Jesus had already raised Lazarus from the dead, and many came to their home to see both Jesus and Lazarus. At the same time, the chief priests in Jerusalem were formulating their plot to kill Jesus.
During the dinner, Mary performed a profound act of devotion to Jesus. She “took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair” (John 12:3). This particular perfume, called “spikenard,” comes from a plant that grows in the Himalayas of Nepal, China, and India at altitudes of about 3,000 to 5,000 meters.
Oil is then extracted from the crushed and distilled roots to make perfume, medicine, incense, sedatives, and flavoring. It would come to Palestine via an ancient trade route and was very costly. Judas objected to Mary’s action saying, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” (John 12:5). Jesus rebuked Judas and 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” (John 12:7-8).
The combination of Mary’s act of devotion, Judas’ greedy response, and Jesus’ rebuke, all taking place just before the first Holy Week, gives us insight into how we should honor our Lord. Jesus clearly elevates devotion to Him above service to the poor. Of course His love for the poor is absolute, but He loved the poor, the rich, and the middle class in the same way. Jesus’ words tell us that divine worship and profound devotion are of far greater importance than anything else, even the good deed of giving money to the poor. We must do both, but divine worship and devotion come first.
One reason Jesus might have permitted Mary to use enough of this valuable perfume on Him, so much that “the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil,” was because Mary needed to do so. Jesus did not need the honor, but He did long to receive Mary’s devotion by which grace more fully transformed her heart. We honor Jesus because He deserved such reverence, but our honor doesn’t change Him, it changes us. It might have been that Mary was too attached to material things and was renouncing this attachment by lavishing the expensive perfume upon Jesus. This clearly pleased our Lord, Who wanted Mary freer to receive His divine love.
Ponder this generous act that Mary performed for our Lord and consider what you can offer to Jesus out of devotion. Are there attachments in your life that you can lavish upon Him? Is there some sacrifice that you can make this week to express your love for Jesus in imitation of Mary’s loving offering? Strive to identify the “liter of costly perfumed oil” in your life, and do not hesitate to offer that to Jesus with devotion and love.
PRAYER
My worthy Lord, I have many attachments in my life. Please help me to see those things that You desire me to let go of so that I can offer them to You out of sacrificial love. You are worthy of my love and devotion. May I be as generous with You as You have been with me, giving the fullness of my love to You.
Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Source: mycatholiclife
