Pure Nard and Perfume

14Apr
Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair.
-John 12:3


Trinity School’s chaplain, Bobby Hadzor, and I take time each year on Maundy Thursday to offer foot- and hand-washing to the students during their recess time. It is an awkward and wonderful moment for the children to see their chaplain and school head on their knees in black cassocks with towels and bowls of water, offering to sprinkle a little water on their hands or (for the very brave) feet, rubbing them gently before dabbing them dry. If any words are exchanged they are pleasantries or easy jokes about the coldness of the water or the color of a toenail.

 

Yet the easy banter belies the really lovely simplicity and intimacy of human touch in the context of a sacred act. When Mary stooped to touch Jesus feet, using her very hair to wipe them, she was anticipating what Jesus would do himself for his disciples later that week as a sign of servant ministry, of how what Jesus models for us and calls us to do is to humble ourselves in the care of others, no matter who we are, and thereby connect with them as children of the Father we all share.

 

That Mary used this costly, and presumably strong-smelling perfume at this critical moment on the eve of Jesus’ passion is more than just foreshadowing of a corpse being anointed at death. We all know how powerful smells are in triggering the memory; the odor of the pure nard will permeate everything that is to follow, reminding those present – and us – through Jesus’ betrayal, denial, execution, death, and ultimate resurrection of the devotion of his faithful followers, a presence of love in the midst of tragedy that can sustain us and remind us that no matter how dark things get, love prevails.


Musical Reflection - Claude Debussy • « Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l’air du soir » • Anna Tsybuleva


Heavenly father, help us to sense your abiding love like a fragrance that will always remind us, no matter how difficult things get, that we are never alone. Amen.

New TestamentHumilityEaster

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