Good morning, good people. May the Lord bless you with peace and health in the Holy Spirit.

It is on 25th March 2024. We reflect on Isaiah 42:1-7 and John 12:1-11. It is the first day of the Holy Week.

Love never dies.

The acts of love are the energies of a loving heart. The expression of love could be criticised by many people, yet it is always immersed in proving the authentic love towards the one in love.

A person in love always demonstrates deep sentiments of love even when abused to the core, brutally and violently silenced, and the person never waivers till the end. Anyone who is in love grabs the opportunity to show the act of love repeatedly even amidst criticism, ridicule, and negative reaction.

In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah presents a person whom God loves because of the act of love that he shows to others. The passage is the first oracle of the Servant of the Lord.

Life is a one-time opportunity to love and register the acts of love to all we meet. During the Holy Week, let us go out to do acts of love and make people feel that God has not forgotten them.

In the Gospel, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, performed the most inspiring act of love by anointing the feet of Jesus with a very costly ointment. Even though Judas was so critical of the act, she continued performing it and Jesus defended her act of love. Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.” (Jn. 12:7).

There is a clear contrast between a woman who is a true disciple of Jesus and Judas as the false disciple and the betrayer.

All those who speak for the poor are not the ones who always love the poor. Love of money bruises the acts of love.

The act of love Jesus performed by raising Lazarus from the dead cost his life. May we be committed to becoming a servant with the vision of serving for the common good.

May the Lord inspire you to the most needful acts of love.

May God bless you.

Fr. Peter Fernando, OFMCap.
Director, Office of Family Ministry, Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (AVOSA).Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.♣Website:https://reflectionsofpeter.org/.♣Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/samarpet