Mary of Bethany
Webmaster • March 27, 2021
Before his entry into Jerusalem, Jesus was anointed with oil as the royal Messiah. Yet the act is almost forgotten, and the person who performed it - Mary of Bethany – is usually left unnamed On Palm Sunday we will celebrate the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as the Messiah-king. In a normal year, it is done with pomp: a - procession, the waving of palms, and the -reading of the Passion, which reinterprets the kind of king that Jesus will be – a Messiah who is to die. But there is another event at the start of Holy Week that proclaims Jesus as the Messiah who is to die: the anointing at Bethany. Yet we do not celebrate it. It is systematically ignored, and some theologians even dispute its importance.
Why?
Was it because it was the act of a woman? This is what the US feminist theologian Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza maintained It set us all thinking. The anointing at Bethany was enormously significant according to Jesus, and was to form part of the core proclamation of the Gospel – what theologians call the kerygma: “Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” The words are similar to what he said about the Eucharist: “Do this in memory of me.” We celebrate the Eucharist daily, Palm Sunday annually – but the anointing at Bethany? Never.
God's lover Who can that be? It is us. To be precise, every one of us. God Loves us, whoever you are, and He desires our love to Him. It is an invitation: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' (Mk 12:30) Now, you might thinks: this is my all, my everything! Nothing left for myself? Exactly. When Jesus asks us to love Him, He expressed it in such a way which seems quite harsh: 'He who does not hate his father and mother is not worthy of me'. But we must learn to penetrate its true meaning. 'To hate' means 'not to put my love first'. He speaks of a love through which we must learn to lose ourselves. And this divine love, unlike human love which often violate the beloved when in excess, does not degrade our life. If you do love God, as a lover, you will try your best; because he who loves wants to see the lover's desires fully satisfied, and the will of the beloved will become the will of the lover. Also because love exists in such a way that it cannot be satisfied unless it continually increases and expands. But if you do struggle to unite with Him, do not worry, He is with you, He will come to meet you with His Love. Truly, we have no pure true love within ourselves unless we have God within us, who is Love Himself, who diffuses charity in our hearts, who teaches us how to love. And this Love needs to be loved, as only in the act of love does the object of love reveal himself to the lover, and unveil the lovableness through which the lover loves him. Within this Love, the lover is continually transformed into the Beloved and the Beloved into the lover, slowly the lover will be like the Beloved and gradually the lover acts like the Beloved. Through loving Jesus, we are being introduced into His Kingdom of Justice and Holiness and drawing us to the heights of charity where we would be one with God. The Lord's daily request of us, is simply that we love Him ever more. (Reference: 'Rosminian Spirituality: In the Spirit of the Founder', Fr Giovanni Gaddo, 1971)
Next weekend there will be a second collection for this Appeal. This year alongside supporting seminarians, this collection will also be used for wider discipleship activity across the Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia. Please support this appeal to the best of your abilities
Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ (John 21:15)
Holy Rosary will be held in Our Lady’s Garden at St Peter’s every Sunday beginning 4th May at 10.45am All are welcome to join!
The Love of God What is Love? We probably can easily quote St Paul's words to the Corinthians: "Love is patient and kind, doesn’t envy, doesn’t brag, not proud...." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) But why is this one thing becomes so many different things? What is Love, exactly? God is Love and hence Love is a Mystery. The created cannot fully understand the Creator, hence no one can truly understand what Love is. However, we can have a glimpse of it by what we experienced and revealed to us. Love is like the dispersion of white light through a prism and gives out a spectrum of rainbowlike colours. But who can name all the shades of colours? Hence we can only use our limited words to describe Love, but still they are just like a tip of an iceberg. What can we say then? God is the Alpha and Omega, so Love is our beginning and our end and perfection. All the goodness of things and persons comes from Him alone. Without Him, we are nothing, but dust. God's Love is what created us, complete us, sustain us, die for us. But that is not the end. As His unlimited Love never ends, so are our souls never die. Our whole being is the imprint of God's Love. Our life eternal is the promise of God's Love. (Reference: 'Rosminian Spirituality: In the Spirit of the Founder', Fr Giovanni Gaddo, 1971)
We thank God for the life and wonderful example of Pope Francis. His was an Easter death and his Christ filled life was an example of faith for all of us. Rest In Peace
‘Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’’ (John 20:26-27)
Sunday 27th April St Albans Church , Cardiff Confessions 2pm – 4pm 2.30pm Blessing and Veneration of the Image 3pm Divine Mercy Chaplet & the Three o’clock Prayer On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment… ” (Diary 699)
Dear brothers, Happy Easter! Despite his illness of these past months, we were all saddened to hear the news yesterday of the death of Pope Francis. He was an extraordinary witness to the Risen Lord and we pray now that the Lord quickly receive him into the kingdom. I will be celebrating a “Mass of the Resurrection – Remembering Pope Francis” in St David’s Cathedral, Cardiff at 6.30pm tomorrow evening (Wednesday) . Please come to concelebrate if you can and encourage our people to come too. There will also be a Vigil of Prayer on Thursday Evening at 6pm in St David’s Cathedral to which we have invited ecumenical, inter-faith and civic dignitaries. Do come to that, too, if you are able, and encourage people to attend, if they can. With my thanks and with my prayers and best wishes. Yours devotedly, +Mark Archbishop Mark O’Toole
‘...The angels there attesting; shroud with grave-clothes resting. Christ, my hope, has risen: he goes before you into Galilee…’ (Victimae Paschali Laudes)