For Monday of Holy Week (Feria Secunda Majoris Hebdomadæ)
Isaiah 50:5-10 & John 12:1-9
As we enter more deeply into the solemn mysteries of Holy Week, the Church gives us, on this Monday, two luminous texts: the Servant Song of Isaiah 50 and the poignant anointing of Our Lord at Bethany. Together, they form a tapestry woven of obedience, suffering, and a love that spares nothing.
“The Lord God hath opened my ear, and I do not resist” (Isaiah 50:5)
This prophetic passage has long been interpreted by the Fathers as a direct foretelling of the Passion of Christ. The Servant of the Lord, a figure fulfilled in Christ Himself, is one who listens attentively—who receives the Word of God, not with resistance, but with surrender. St. Jerome remarks that the opening of the ear signifies the Lord’s perfect receptivity to the will of the Father, a reference to Psalm 39:7, “Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldest not: but a body thou hast fitted to me. Then said I: Behold I come.”
St. Gregory the Great, in his Moralia in Job, sees in this passage the model of true humility: Christ does not turn away His face “from them that rebuke Me and spit upon Me” (v.6). Gregory reflects, “He bore insults in silence, and by His patience overthrew the arrogance of the devil.” This is not mere passive endurance—it is the weapon of divine charity.
The Servant’s willingness to give His back to the scourge, His cheeks to the smiters, and His face to shame shows us the face of true obedience. Not submission born of fear, but of love.
“Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of right spikenard…” (John 12:3)
What we see prophesied in Isaiah is now prefigured in action in the Gospel. Six days before the Passover, Our Lord comes to Bethany—to the home of Lazarus whom He raised from the dead—and there Mary anoints His feet with costly perfume and wipes them with her hair.
St. Augustine comments that this act is prophetic, even though Mary may not have known it: “She did this as one who loved, and the Holy Ghost guided her love.” Her act, deemed wasteful by Judas, is instead received by Christ as preparation for His burial. It is love that recognizes the approach of the Cross and responds with generosity.
St. Ambrose, reflecting on this passage, notes the symbolism of the spikenard: “This ointment is the aroma of faith, poured forth from a humble heart. The house was filled with the fragrance, as the Church is filled with the memory of her devotion.” Mary’s gesture—extravagant, tender, and intimate—stands in stark contrast to Judas’ utilitarianism. Her love is wasteful in the eyes of the world, but wholly fitting for the One who gives all.
The Suffering Servant and the Anointing Woman: A Holy Week Lens
Isaiah gives us the theology; John shows us its human face. The Servant who gives Himself over to suffering is the Christ whom Mary anoints. She, in a certain way, imitates Him—offering her most precious possession without reserve, just as He offers Himself. Both are misunderstood. Both are ridiculed. Yet both are caught up in a divine drama where love is the final word.
In these readings, the Church sets before us the two postures necessary for the holy days ahead: obedient listening and lavish love.
- Obedient listening: Like the Servant, we are called to let our ears be opened, not to resist the Word of God, especially when it leads us into suffering or misunderstanding.
- Lavish love: Like Mary, we must be willing to love Christ with extravagance, with the kind of devotion that scandalizes the cold-hearted but delights the Lord.
To Walk in Darkness with Trust
Isaiah concludes: “Let him that walketh in darkness and hath no light, trust in the name of the Lord and lean upon his God” (Isa 50:10). How fitting for this Monday of Holy Week, when shadows begin to lengthen, and betrayal looms near.
St. John Chrysostom reminds us: “It is not enough to walk in the light; we must trust even in darkness. For in trusting, we walk with the Crucified.”
So as we walk with Christ to Calvary, let us keep company with Mary of Bethany and with the Suffering Servant. Let our obedience be complete, our love uncalculated, and our trust unwavering—even in the dark.
Collect for Monday of Holy Week (Roman Missal, 1962):
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who fail through our weakness in so many adversities, may be relieved through the Passion of Thine only-begotten Son: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee…