Holy Week Reflections - Monday

Our first reading from Isaiah 42:1-7 invites us to ponder the deepest meaning of servanthood and how it applies to our lives. The servant chosen by God to bring justice to the nations will do so not in a bellicose manner but by touching bruised reeds so tenderly that they do not break. This new covenant of love will bring light to the nations. The eyes of the blind will be opened, and prisoners released from dungeons will see the dawn.

This vision comes at a time when the people of Judah were in exile. Not one stone was left upon another in the ruined temple. Held captive in Babylon, their future was in peril. They were in desperate need of an enlightened servant of God to assure them that their prayers had been heard and their quest for justice was not in vain.

In this servant song, we see prefigured the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. The Spirit rests on him so that he does not faint or grow weary. With the coming of the Lord, the Law, rather than being engraved on tablets of stone, is written on our heart as is the promise that to the earth will come justice, peace, and mercy.

With the coming of the Lord, as Psalm 27 assures us, of what is there to fear? The enemy stumbles and falls, but we remain steadfast and full of confidence, able to wait upon the disclosures of Divine Providence, and not lose patience. We learn to pay attention to the lofty graces that flow from ordinary tasks done with self-forgetful love. We see that contemplation has to be the ground of action and that we are but servants of the Servant of God. This secret was known by Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, who saw Jesus himself acting within her and beckoning her to do all that he desired of her moment by moment.

In her Story of a Soul, Saint Thérèse shows us the true meaning of servant leadership. Sanctity for her is not dependent on exalted experiences or spectacular achievements. She believes that all baptized souls—from frail elderly nuns to strong young missionary priests—work together to reveal God’s honor and glory. She says that “my one purpose would be to accomplish the will of God, to sacrifice myself for him in the way that would please him.” There is no need to fear. The Lord knows we are too weak to walk alone.

This first day of Holy Week may be the time to stop worrying about the past or the present or the future. God calls us through the prophet and the psalmist to move from a fearful, fragmented, exilic existence to a courageous life that respects the delicate balance of contemplation and action, of self-giving love and dedicated service.

When we turn to the Gospel of John, we meet another remarkable woman and friend of Jesus, Mary of Bethany, along with her sister, Martha and their brother, Lazarus. At the risk of being misunderstood, which she was, she spared nothing when it came to caring for her Lord, anointing his feet with costly perfume and drying them with her hair. Her entire sensate, spiritual being was involved in this act of love that Saint Thérèse would have understood perfectly.

At the same gathering, the anti-servant posture of Judas revealed itself. All he cared about was material wealth. The Master admonished him to leave Mary alone since the poor will always be with us and since what Mary did forecasted his burial.

Binding these readings together are several threads essential to faith formation. From the first reading, we learn to fashion our actions and behaviors in ways that align them with what it means to be faithful servants of the Lord. The psalm encourages us to remain stout-hearted in difficult times, relinquish fear, and place our trust in God.

The Gospel of John invites us to venerate the Lord by offering him the gift of selfless service. Mary’s act of love teaches us that our intimacy with Jesus must not be shy and withholding but bold and courageous. Mary is a model disciple willing to step outside the safety zone of pious decorum and follow the dictates of her heart. She teaches us that lavish love will always be a sign of servanthood, undeterred by what others may think of us when our soul, in the words of Saint John of the Cross, is taken with love.

In Number 26 of his Sayings of Light and Love, he prays, “You will not take from me, my God, what you once gave me in your only Son, Jesus Christ, in whom you gave me all I desire. Hence I rejoice that if I wait for you, you will not delay. With what procrastination do you wait, since from this very moment you can love God in your heart.”

Questions for Reflection

1. How might you fashion your daily life in such a way that you can be and become a more faithful servant of the Lord?

2. When you face misunderstanding in situations where you do your best to try to serve the Lord, what is your response?

3. How much time do you spend worrying about the past, the present, or the future? How can you become more trusting in the providential care of the Lord?