No Gift is Too Great for Our God

During this time of Lent, one of the areas of focus in our lives should be the sacrifice of a lesser good for a greater good. The reason we fast and give alms is that by our sacrifice, we recognize the proper hierarchy of goods. God is the first and greatest good. All other goods are secondary. Money, comfort, time, and fame are all subordinate goods to the love of God.

Today, the readings at mass convey this idea. The prophecy in Isaiah sets Jesus apart as the chosen one, with whom the Father is pleased. The Lord is identified as our ultimate goal. He is the greatest good, in whom we should place all of our trust and energy.

The gospel reading affirms this concept. A woman begins to wash the feet of Jesus with rare and expensive oil. She then uses her own hair to dry His feet. As she is doing this, Judas becomes upset and asks why the oil is wasted and not used to help the poor. We know that Judas really intended to steal the money from the proceeds of the sale of that oil. Jesus then gives us perspective on the dispute. He silences Judas by reminding him that “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

Here we see that social justice certainly has its place. It is a very worthwhile cause, but it is still subordinate to the greater cause, which is the glorification of God. We must not forget the proper order of our priorities. God must always be first in our lives.