Isaiah 42:1-7 / John 12:1-11
We may remember how we started off the season of Lent. Of course it started on Ash Wednesday with obligatory fasting and the imposition of ashes on the forehead.
But before that it was two days of the Chinese New Year holidays and we were feasting away and celebrating the festival.
Time has passed by so quickly and we are now at the beginning of Holy Week and it will be a matter of a couple of days before we begin the Easter Triduum.
The gospel passage of today begins by stating a specific time - Six days before the Passover.
In a matter of six days, the lives of all the characters in the gospel passage will change forever..
Lazarus will probably be killed by the authorities as they had plotted to do so since it was because of him that the people were believing in Jesus.
Martha and Mary would have to flee from their home at Bethany to join the rest of the disciples to go into hiding after Jesus was crucified.
Judas, for all his criticism of Mary's action of anointing Jesus with the anointment, could not face up the the criticism of being labelled as a betrayer and so he ended his life.
As for us, in the days to coming, something will happen and our lives will also change. Surely we would want to know what kind of change it would be and how will things turn out.
Whatever the change may be, we know what God wants it to be. That is stated in the 1st reading:
I, the Lord have called you to serve the cause of right. I have taken you by the hand and formed you. I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison, and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.
So let us prepare ourselves to change and to be changed. It may just happen in the next few days.