I attended a real western gala in San Antonio
over the weekend, replete with boots, hats, denim covered with rhinestones, and
other faux cowboy/cowgirl apparel. I had
to borrow appropriate clothes, thus I sported more bling than my usual proper
presidential attire. I did look less
boring, to be sure.
It was a benefit for disabled children, creating
access for their participation in baseball.
The founder of the program believed that his wife was carrying a special
needs child, according to test results.
In the end, their daughter did not have Down Syndrome, but the prospect
of that spurred him to start Miracle League of San Antonio.
I got to see people at their best as they gave
generously to this worthy cause. The
silent auction garnered significant funds, and then the public auction drew
even more. I dared not twitch, or I
might have bought an opportunity to go turkey hunting in Texas. What impressed me most was the willingness of
people to stretch their resources to express their care for this particular
mission.
One of the readings
for Monday of Holy Week recounts the generosity of Mary of Bethany as she
lavishes Jesus with her love.
Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume (John 12:3).
Judas was critical of her action, suggesting that a better use of
her gift would have been to sell it and give the proceeds to the poor. Jesus saw through his guile, and said, “Leave
her alone. She bought it so that she
might keep it for the day of my burial” (12:7).
The Gospel of Mark
offers a similar narrative of self-giving, an anticipatory anointing of Jesus
for his burial. In response, he said
“Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world,
what she has done will be told in remembrance of her” (14:9). Remarkable is Jesus’ prescience about his
death; remarkable is Jesus’ humility in elevating this woman.
As we make our slow
way through Holy Week, we are drawn into the greatest story of costly
love. The Triune God allows the
disruption of death to intrude into the eternal communion of relationships to
create space for the godforsaken. God
makes our story God’s own story, and we are claimed in life and death.
Molly T. Marshall
Central prepares women and men for seeking God, shaping church, and
serving humanity.
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