Today, 25th of April, we celebrate
Saint Mark
First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-7
He will not cry out, nor make his voice heard in the street.
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Upon whom I have put my Spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
Not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
A bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
Until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spreads out the earth with its crops,
Who gives breath to its people
and spirit to those who walk on it:
I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14
R./ The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R./ The Lord is my light and my salvation.
When evildoers come at me
to devour my flesh,
My foes and my enemies
themselves stumble and fall.
R./ The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.
R./ The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord.
R./ The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Gospel Reading: John 12:1-11
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
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.
Frivolity or Absolute Necessity?
It’s fascinating that on Holy Monday, the focus of the story revolves around a perfume—an expensive one, whose fragrance fills the entire house. At first glance, it might seem a bit frivolous. Judas thought so too—not only frivolous but excessively costly. Wouldn’t that money be better spent helping the poor? Yet, God’s logic reveals that this act is already deeply invested in the promise of salvation for all, including the poor. In truth, it goes far beyond mere frivolity; it’s both essential and indispensable.
What if this perfume symbolizes the acknowledgment of the Servant of Yahweh, as mentioned in the first reading? What if it represents the anointing for the Savior’s impending death? The cross and the tomb, after all, cost far more. Christ, anointed by the Father, is now anointed by a woman with little prestige—symbolizing humanity’s recognition of Him. She gives all she has for this anointing; it costs her dearly. Yet, the fragrance fills the house, marking the recognition of the Messiah, the embrace of the mystery of His death, and the proclamation of His Resurrection.
What if we, too, were to give everything we have—our entire lives—to be like that perfume, acknowledging Christ as the Anointed One and seeing redemption as humanity’s only hope? What if our personal commitment could fill the world with the fragrance of Christ?
Giving everything means sacrificing time, money, effort, self-denial, confessing the truth, undergoing conversion, transforming our lives, and living passionately. This is precisely what genuinely supports the poor Judas claimed to care about.
Such dedication might invite criticism, disapproval, or even persecution. The critique that we are unworthy of such devotion would be accurate—and that very truth is what makes it even more meaningful: it is God Himself who accepts and bestows value upon it. This participation in the mystery of Redemption echoes what Paul later expressed, “I complete in my flesh what is lacking in the Passion.” Of course, nothing is truly lacking in the Passion of God’s Anointed One. Yet, through our anointing, we become part of His Body—even if it costs us dearly.
Cármen AguinacoIntroduction
Today's Gospel presents three persons to us.
The first is a man preoccupied with himself, his own interests and needs, his selfish satisfaction. He is not a free person; he is not open to Christ, for he serves money and greed. He will betray Jesus. This man is Judas.
Then, there is a second man, a good person, open to Christ, but weak. He tries to hide his frailty with impetuous, self-reliant bravery. He cracks in the hour of the test. He will deny Jesus. This person is Peter.
The third person is Jesus. He is totally unselfish, completely open to God and to everyone. He is the perfect servant, the person-for-others, that is described again today in the first reading in the words of the Second Song of God’s Servant. And because he was the perfect servant, he could save us all.
Opening Prayer
Lord, our God,
your Son, Jesus Christ,
had to undergo the humiliation
of being betrayed and denied
by those he called his friends.
But he made his suffering and death
into instruments of love and reconciliation.
Make us with him people-for-others,
who accept difficulties, even betrayals
and misunderstanding of our best intentions,
and turn them into sources of life and joy
for those around us.
Keep us faithful to you and to one another
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
General Intercessions
God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son to save us and bring us life by his death and resurrection. Let us pray to Jesus for all who suffer and say: Lord, by your cross you have redeemed the world.
– For those whose ideals have faded, that they may still see and accept the novelty of life and constantly renew themselves, we pray:
– For the perpetual losers of their personal struggles against the forces of evil, that they may trust in Christ, whose grace is mightier than sin and death, we pray:
– For those who are lonely, deserted, or shut up within themselves, that they may accept the companionship of Christ, and through him, open themselves to others, we pray:
– For all of us, that we may learn from our Lord himself to bear our crosses in patience and humility, that somehow they may bring life to us and to our neighbor, we pray:
– For this community, that with Jesus, our Savior, it may be poor, and ser-ving and open to all needs, we pray:
Lord Jesus Christ, your cross remains to us a mystery, as does all pain and want. Yet, we rely on your word and example that it is a way to joy and freedom. Turn our crosses into bearers of happiness and life, now and for ever.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, loving Father,
the evening before he gave up himself to death,
your Son Jesus, gave himself to his friends
in the form of bread to be eaten
and a cup of wine to be shared.
As we are gathered here for his holy meal,
let your Son give himself again to us,
that we may learn from him
to give ourselves for one another
and that our strength to do so may come
from Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father,
we have eaten the bread of faithfulness
at the table of Jesus, your Son.
We too have at times betrayed him,
when we broke our friendship with you
and when we denied to our neighbor
the right to be happy and free.
From now on, let him be our strength
in bringing justice and dignity,
to even the last and least of our brothers and sisters
and in building up together
your community of joy and hope,
in which lives Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord, for ever and ever.
Blessing
One of the saddest experiences in life is to see one’s love and trust misunderstood, denied, or even betrayed. This was the lot of Jesus. He suffered from it, yet accepted it in order to undo our disloyalties and betrayals. This is why his own love and loyalty to the Father and to us went as far as it can go: death. And this is how he won for us, the courage to love without counting the cost and to be faithful to the end. May God fill us with his blessings: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
