This week, we look towards the passion of Jesus Christ; a passion that would take Jesus to the cross, to prove the love of God, for his creation. 

Although, this week commemorates Jesus’ passion the Gospel reading we have just heard makes reference to the passion and zeal of others. In the Gospel reading we see Mary’s love of Jesus driving her to anoint his feet as an act of devotion, and friendship. St.John also contrasts Mary’s unselfish love with the passion of Judas for money and dishonesty. All Judas is concerned about is how much he can make from the man he once passionately believed in and followed. Judas’s passion for wealth is all consuming, sad and ultimately a cause of his death. Mary’s passionate feelings for Jesus are humbling and touching; a simple act of love that few of us would shirk from doing to one we deeply loved.

All of us have a passion for something or perhaps someone. We all, perhaps, are aware of what we may or may not do because of that passion; be it in our love for another or for some activity we enjoy. I am passionate about my loved ones, and there is little I would not do for them to ensure their happiness and well-being. I am also passionate about gardening, the feel of soil through my fingers and making things grow delights me. I am also passionate about the Arts, especially dance and the joy I experience watching others do what I can no longer do or couldn’t ever do!

Passion makes a difference. Passion can change the world and those with strongly held passions can teach us much about having a goal in life, a vision for the future. For passion encourages hope and hope in its turn fires passion but you have to have sight of what it is you hope for in order to let your passions drive you forward. 

At times in our lives we occasionally have to stop and assess what our passions are and how they can help us shape our future and the future of those around us. The sort of questions we need to ask are:

What is my passion?

What is my vision?

How do I see the future? 

What do I hope for? 

And what am I going to do about it?

These are the same sort of questions I suspect St.Paul was pondering when he wrote to the Philippians:

^4…Even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: ⁵circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ  ^…forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians  3:4b-7 & 13b-14

Paul’s conversion filled him with great passion for Jesus Christ and a desire to share that passion with the whole world; and through his words he is still doing the same today. As you read his words, they might sound boastful but you cannot deny they are passionate. 

Yet, that said, for me, it is Mary’s passion that speaks the loudest. Mary’s actions were shocking. She was debasing herself at the feet of a man and many felt that she had wasted money on buying the ‘nard’. Judas is wanting the money for himself and others are straight jacketed by the social conventions of the time to see anything beyond the obvious. That’s why Jesus rebukes them all, by telling them to leave her alone. The money wasn’t wasted and neither are her passionate actions for as he goes on to say; ‘You won’t always have me’, but ‘You will always have the poor’ and ‘What she is doing now will not be able to be done at my death’.

At this stage of the events leading to the Cross, the disciples are unaware that Jesus would be dead and hastily buried before the dawn of the coming Sabbath. In the Jewish burial rite the care of the body before burial was very important but the events of Good Friday precluded this from happening to Jesus’ body. Jesus’ words would have confused his followers but we with hindsight can understand why he said them. Jesus received no other anointing other than Mary’s passionate gesture. Mary’s passion for her Lord, caused her to break with convention and to acknowledge the moment she was in; or as she realised lose the opportunity to care for him. Mary paid homage to Jesus out of love and passion and Jesus loved her for it. 

This week challenges us to be passionate activists for the sake of Christ, for the sake of our fellow beings in the world and for God’s creation. If you take nothing else away from today’s readings just remember that God calls you to live a passionate life. A life fuelled with a desire to experience an existence that is fulfilling and demanding. A life in which all God’s people are treated with respect, fairness and dignity and ourselves filled with a passion for respect, fairness and a desire to live the Gospel message every day of our lives.  

Be passionate, follow your passions and give thanks to God for them.