Mary Anoints Christ’s Feet
Ilyas Basim Khuri Bazzi Rahib, 1684

My dear friends,

As we journey together into this solemn week, a week when hearts are filled with both dread and hope, a week symbolizing the darkest hours before the breaking dawn, let us meditate on a thread of commonality that weaves itself through the scriptures for this day. These writings share a profound unity in their message, a unity that binds us all, regardless of our diverse faiths and spiritual paths, just as we are bound together in the experience of life and its inevitable companion, death.

The prophet's vision of a persistent servant of justice evokes the image of Jesus, who remains steadfast on his path despite the ordeal that awaits him in this Holy Week. He did not falter nor was he discouraged, for his sights were set on a justice that goes beyond the transient and physical; a justice that serves as a beacon of hope to those lost in the darkness of oppression, sorrow, and despair.

This verse speaks to the human experience of striving for goodness amidst adversity, a theme mirrored in Jesus's journey. Despite his impending suffering and death, he stood firm against the proud and wicked, embodying a profound love and compassion that lights the path of righteousness.

This passage emphasizes the purpose of Jesus's impending sacrifice: liberation from the bondage of past mistakes, and the promise of an eternal inheritance of peace. His life and death become a bridge, allowing humanity to cross the chasm of sin and brokenness into the embrace of divine love.

Here, Jesus is acknowledging his impending death, yet he does so without fear. He recognizes death as an inevitable step in his mission, a transition necessary to bring about the new covenant.

These scriptures teach us resilience in the face of adversity, steadfastness in the quest for justice, the hope of redemption, and the acceptance of our mortality. In the narrative of Jesus’s impending death, we are invited to recognize our shared human condition - our struggles, our longing for justice, and our ultimate mortality. But we are also called to remember the promise of redemption, even within this brief passage of mortal existence.

This Holy Week, let us meditate on these shared human experiences and values, and carry them forth into our daily lives. Let the strength, compassion, and wisdom embodied by Jesus in his final days inspire us to walk our own paths with courage and resolve.

In the face of inevitable trials and tribulations, let us remember these words and find within them the fortitude to continue on our path, the courage to uphold justice, the compassion to love without conditions, and the wisdom to accept life's impermanence. In this shared understanding, may we find our common humanity, and through it, may we foster a more compassionate and just world.