Priceless

A reading for the Wednesday of Holy Week:

Thank goodness.

We’ve at last had a quiet day.

No high jinks or funny tricks

Just some peace and quiet

Mind you, it wasn’t much fun

Jesus was pretty withdrawn

Not his usual gallous self.

To be honest I’d rather have his temper tantrums

than the brooding he’s done today

Thank goodness Mary came by tonight

with that precious ointment

Made quite a spectacle of herself

It was uncomfortable to watch

seemed so intimate

as though we were intruding on something private,

holy even.

You would have thought it was only her and Jesus

so engrossed in her task was she

anointing him

caressing his feet

Most of us had to turn away

it was so beautiful.

I think that’s why Judas threw in the curve ball

about the money wasted

He simply couldn’t stand the hush,

the sense of awe that had descended

had to loosen the tension.

I think the rest of us were just too overcome,

literally, with the aroma and the purity of the gift

that we witnessed being lavished on Jesus.

But he didn’t seem in the least embarrassed.

Recognised it for the gift it was

even though he went all strange

and started talking about being anointed for burial.

I felt a lump in my throat

as he stood up

for this poor often misaligned woman.

And her face.

The pride in her eyes when Jesus spoke up for her.

THAT was the priceless gift.

Liz Crumlish Lent 2010