Holy Monday

Though not commonly observed, there are lectionary texts for every day of Holy Week, where the Gospel readings follow Christ in his final days before the Cross. 

This Holy Week, I will simply post the Gospel passage for the day, and a prayer to help us as we work together to reflect on Christ's journey. 

As alluded to in the Gospel passages, in the days leading up to his crucifixion, Christ knows what is going to happen, and he has chosen to follow the path to the Cross, to pay the price for the salvation of the world.  That is a true and amazing love.

From the Gospel of John, the twelfth chapter, verses one through eleven:

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 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. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

This is the word of God, for all people.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Please pray:

Almighty God,
  whose dear Son went not up to joy
    before he suffered pain,
  and entered not into glory,
    before he was crucified:
Mercifully grant that we,
  walking in the way of the cross,
  may find it the way of life and peace;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
  who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
  one God, for ever.  Amen.  [from the Book of Common Prayer]