Today is the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women.
As you know, myrrh book-ends the life Jesus. Last week we heard the confession of faith in Christ Jesus of Thomas. This week we are invited to expand what it means to act with charity in the face of difficulty. Father David Petras notes:
Myrrh-Bearing WomenOn the third Paschal Sunday, we celebrate two people, first Joseph and Nicodemus, who took down the body of Jesus from the cross, and with “fragrant spices laid it in burial in a new tomb.” This, of course, was an act of mercy that we show to all who die, but from a deeper insight, we also see that it was their acknowledgment that Jesus was truly “the Christ,” the “Anointed One,” or in Hebrew, the “Messiah.” Because Jesus had to be buried in great haste, the faithful women came on the third day, Sunday morning, to complete the anointing with myrrh.
The holy apostle and evangelist Mark is telling us a great message: we must have the courage to complete the women’s task, we must proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah, not by fragrant oils, but by our praise and worship. Like Thomas, we must profess that Jesus is “our Lord and our God.”
What act of mercy will you perform today, this week?