The Fragrance of Love: Monday of Holy Week

"Mary took a liter of costly perfume made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil." John 12:3

At the beginning of Holy Week, we are given this quiet, intimate scene:
Jesus sits at the table. Mary, the sister of Lazarus, kneels at his feet with a jar of precious perfume. She pours it out. Not drop by drop, but completely. And then she wipes his feet with her own hair.

It’s a shocking gesture. Tender. Vulnerable. Extravagant.
Some don’t understand. Some call it a waste. But Jesus sees it for what it is: an act of deep, personal love.

This is the kind of kindness that doesn’t measure.
It doesn’t ask, "What will people think? or "What do I get in return?

It gives what is most precious, simply because the heart is full.

Mary’s act is also a preparation: not just for Jesus’ burial, but for us, too, as we enter Holy Week. Mary shows us how to approach Jesus: not just with duty, but with devotion. Not just with words, but with love that can be felt and seen and even smelled.

True love always leaves a trace.

Reflect

What would it look like for us to offer Jesus something truly precious this week?
Not out of guilt or fear, but because we love him?
What is the “perfume” we might pour out at his feet?

Maybe it’s our time.
Maybe it’s a gesture of kindness we’ve been holding back.
Maybe it’s forgiveness, or silence, or presence.

Pray

Lord Jesus,
Mary poured out her treasure for you, without fear, without shame.
Help me to love like that.
To give freely, tenderly, without worrying what others think.
Let my kindness be real, fragrant, full, and generous.
Let it be a gift that fills the house.
Amen.

This Week

Choose someone to bless with an unexpected act of kindness today.
Something costly. Not in money, perhaps, but in love, attention, or time.
Let it be your “perfume”, your gift to Jesus, poured out for love.