Palm Sunday

“Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” —John 12:3

The Mary in John’s Gospel brings to mind another Mary with whom I lived and worked in the Holy Land, not far from Bethany. Sister Marie, as school principal, flew her country’s flag when religious fundamentalism prohibited any display of national allegiance. This daring act attracted the attention of an extremist group. Several representatives entered sister’s office and threatened her, announcing, “We are Hezbollah.” (The true meaning of the word “Hezbollah” is “Party of God.”) Marie laughed. Astonished and angered, the group demanded an explanation. Marie replied that she was Hezbollah long before they were. The flag continued to fly. Marie thrived, undaunted. The men departed, instructed.

Just as these two Marys shared an unconventional and courageous expression of discipleship, they also provoked a similar reaction from their audiences: shock, embarrassment, and condemnation. Jesus, however, defended Mary of Bethany, and surely his response to Marie of Beirut would be the same: “Let her alone.” Their stories invite us to reflect on what risks we might make for the sake of love and loyalty in following Jesus.

—Written by Sister Maureen Grady

Excerpted from The Gift of the Cross, ed. by Andrew Gawrych, CSC. Copyright (c) 2009 by the Priests of Holy Cross, Indiana Province. Used by permission of the publisher, Ave Maria Press, P.O. Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556, www.avemariapress.com