Lent V 04/06/25

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

The Fifth Sunday in Lent

... At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance... T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

            Peace on each one who comes in need; 

            Peace on each one who comes in joy. 

            Peace on each one who offers prayers; 

            Peace on each one who offers song. 

            Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son, 

            Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One.

Opening Prayer

God of our pilgrimage, we have found the living water. Refresh and sustain us as we go forth on our Lenten journey, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Scripture Reading          John 12:1-8

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."

Poem: “After Anointing”  by Mother Petra

I kept my jar of nard until
the time for love had come.
Then I broke the alabaster
and poured my treasure over You.
The fragrance filled the house.
But having once given all,
I have nothing left to offer You:
My hands are empty,
save for these broken shards.
Yet You see in my emptiness
the poverty of love.

Meditation

In this week's gospel, we see a fantastic act of gratitude and care as Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, anoints Jesus's feet with her hair and expensive perfume. In this beautiful gesture, Mary focuses her complete attention and care on Jesus. In his essays on this extraordinary (and seemingly extravagant) act, Jonathan Farnhill talks about the different forms of generosity we can see in the story, including the giving of time and talent. "The Quakers have a lovely phrase...' Attend to what love requires of you.' We must attend to what our love of God and God's people requires of us and be generous in using our talents to enable us to do that."

The brief poem is by Mother Petra, a Christ the Bridegroom community member in Parma. It imagines Mary's feelings after her anointing of Jesus. She has nothing left to give, but then she understands that Jesus sees in her emptiness the "poverty of love." The powerful images make a strong statement: the key to Mary's gesture is love, and it does not rely on the giving of costly things. 

Jesus seems to lift and bless this essential reality. In fact, Jesus will soon wash his disciples' feet and give them a new commandment: that they love one another. "By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples."

Questions for Reflection

As we prepare to enter into Holy Week, what aspects of this gospel story or the poem especially connect with you?

What different emotions do you suppose Mary had, considering the context of her brother dying and being raised by Jesus? How might this affect our thoughts and own emotions?

In what ways are the importance of relationship highlighted in the gospel and poem? How do these relate to your own experience in this moment, and as we enter Holy Week in 2025?

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today 

We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer

We bring to God a troubled situation in our world 

We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust

We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection

We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives

We name before God those who have died.

Now to God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or conceive, by the power which is at work among us, be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all ages. Amen.                     

Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.

Reflections this month offered by: Frank Nowell