Monday in Holy Week
The thirty-fifth day of Lent
After
his dramatic entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Jesus withdrew to the home
of his friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany. Jesus was an itinerant
preacher with no home of his own, dependent on the friendship and charity of his
friends for a place to lay his head at night. At supper in Bethany, realizing
that events were coming to a head, Mary washed the feet of Jesus and anointed
them with a jar of expensive oil. Judas, who kept the common purse of the little
group of followers of Jesus, was outraged: "Why was this perfume not sold for
three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" But Jesus responded,
"You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me." In
this moment, Jesus wanted the disciples to focus on the crisis that was about to
break over him, but, clearly, the man who had healed the sick and raised the
dead was not indifferent to the needs of the poor. The prophets had railed
against those who ignored the poor and Jesus himself blessed them and assured
them that they would inherit the kingdom of heaven. His words about the poor
stand as a continuing judgment against all who live in affluence and allow the
poor still to be with us--in our own cities and countryside, and in foreign
nations where homelessness, hunger, and disease are the lot of vast numbers of
people.
Our final suggestion for Lenten, and continuing, almsgiving and volunteer involvement is the remarkable organization known as Habitat for Humanity International. This Christian ministry began with a vision like that of the Heifer Project which saw the solution to poverty in giving people the means to build new lives rather than in simply giving them handouts. With the help of volunteers, those in need of homes would have the opportunity to build and own their own homes. In 1968, the first homes were begun. Since then, more than 300,000 homes have been built, housing more than 1.5 million people in 3,000 communities around the world. It is likely that there is a Habitat project near you where you can volunteer. And if not, or if volunteering is not possible, donations are also needed. Read more about the history of Habitat here and see how you can get involved.
forward to Tuesday in Holy Week
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