THE WELCOME MONDAY

HOLY WEEK 2022 

Monday, April 11: Isaiah 42: 1-7; John 12:1-11

Six days before the passover, that is how the Gospel begins today! If yesterday was the Palm Sunday, today is the Welcome Monday... Jesus who entered triumphantly yesterday into Jerusalem, is being welcomed into their presence today. Jesus is extended hospitality today, by the family of Lazarus. The event today and Jesus in the circumstances, give us a strong message and a sign of things to come. 

The message is from the event itself - Jesus entered and he is being welcomed. Jesus entered - as we reflected yesterday, Jesus has entered fully aware of what can happen to him there in the city. In fact, it is a conscious choice that he had made. While there is a question to reflect here, how prepared are we to enter into a lifestyle that is of total obedience to God, there is another message here! When Jesus entered, they welcomed him. When the Lord enters our lives, how ready are we to welcome him! Welcoming the Lord is not a simple thing - it would cause a lot of trouble, a lot of confusion, a number of challenges in our lives. Are we prepared to welcome the Lord, inspite of the storm that it can create?

There is a sign here that Jesus draws our attention to - that the anointment with the perfume that was done by Mary was an indication of the imminent death that awaits him. Yet, he is serene, confident and unperturbed. That is the sign, specially the cause of that serenity, the source of that confidence, the reason for being so composed: because God loved him, God had chosen him and God had appointed him the sign of the covenant! The peace came from within, from the core within him were God resided, where God's love was glowing so strong. 

The journey is on... and we are called to go forward with peace, serenity and endurance! The Lord comes to us, and if we welcome the Lord whole heartedly, we shall find that deep peace which no one else can give!