AUDIO MEDITATION:

Pierre Subleyras (French, 1699-1749), The Feast in the House of Simon. Public domain. View full-sized image here.

FULL TEXT:

During Holy Week, a lot happens on our march to the cross with Jesus, so each day’s work of art will reflect the Gospel for that day—a departure from what we have been doing to spend each week anticipating the upcoming Sunday Gospel.

Today’s Gospel reading tells of Jesus visiting Bethany to join Lazarus and his sisters for a dinner they held for him. During the meal, Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

This image, which was painted to fill the wall of a dining hall in an Italian monastery, shows the whole scene at the home in Bethany. The entire room is filled with bustling activity—even the dog is busy. Everyone is enjoying the feast, except Mary, who sees Jesus’ anguish and offers an extravagant gesture of comfort and solace.

How might we step away from the demands of our busy day to notice those who are in anguish, who might need a comforting gesture?