Dom Helder Camara, Through the Gospel, p. 127
Through the Gospel
In this episode however, there’s also the story of Mary. Her gesture reminds me of a woman, a lady who often used to bring me money or things she let me sell for the poor. One day she brought me some scent: ‘I’ve been given this scent as a present. I don’t know the first thing about perfume but I’m told it’s rare, very dear, incredibly expensive. Dom Helder, I’ve hand an idea. This time I’m asking you not to sell the scent. If you can do it, I should like you to take it to some lonely place. And there, since you are a priest and your mission is to offer sacrifice, I should like you to break the bottle and let the perfume escape as an act of worship to the creator, to the Father, on behalf of all those who never think of worshipping or have no wish to worship him, on behalf of the whole human race.’
I was delighted. I made a good ‘vigil’. I found a lonely place where there were some stones. And then, in the true spirit of offering, I broke the bottle. How wonderful it was! In amazement, I discovered what a perfume of great price was really like.
Next day, the lady came to see me again. ‘Dom Helder,’ she said, ‘I’m feeling a little uneasy. The fact is, I think it was vain of me to let you into my little secret. I could have broken that bottle myself. Perhaps I was being vain in wanting you to know that I too was capable of making a gesture … How weak we are, Dom Helder.’ I said, ‘Having the humility to acknowledge this trace of what may be vanity is a pretty important thing in itself.’
Imaging the Word, Vol. 1, p. 166-169
3 Jan Richardson, Circle of Grace, p. 116 f.
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. 8 The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
12:1 ο ουν ιησους προ εξ ημερων του πασχα ηλθεν εις βηθανιαν οπου ην λαζαρος ο τεθνηκως ον ηγειρεν εκ νεκρων 12:2 εποιησαν ουν αυτω δειπνον εκει και η μαρθα διηκονει ο δε λαζαρος εις ην των ανακειμενων συν αυτω 12:3 η ουν μαρια λαβουσα λιτραν μυρου ναρδου πιστικης πολυτιμου ηλειψεν τους ποδας του ιησου και εξεμαξεν ταις θριξιν αυτης τους ποδας αυτου η δε οικια επληρωθη εκ της οσμης του μυρου 12:4 λεγει ουν εις εκ των μαθητων αυτου ιουδας σιμωνος ισκαριωτης ο μελλων αυτον παραδιδοναι 12:5 δια τι τουτο το μυρον ουκ επραθη τριακοσιων δηναριων και εδοθη πτωχοις 12:6 ειπεν δε τουτο ουχ οτι περι των πτωχων εμελεν αυτω αβοτι κλεπτης ην και το γλωσσοκομον ειχεν και τα βαλλομενα εβασταζεν 12:7 ειπεν ουν ο ιησους αφες αυτην εις την ημεραν του ενταφιασμου μου τετηρηκεν αυτο 12:8 τους πτωχους γαρ παντοτε εχετε μεθ εαυτων εμε δε ου παντοτε εχετε
9 When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus also to death, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
12:9 εγνω ουν οχλος πολυς εκ των ιουδαιων οτι εκει εστιν και ηλθον ου δια τον ιησουν μονον αλλ ινα και τον λαζαρον ιδωσιν ον ηγειρεν εκ νεκρων 12:10 εβουλευσαντο δε οι αρχιερεις ινα και τον λαζαρον αποκτεινωσιν 12:11 οτι πολλοι δι αυτον υπηγον των ιουδαιων και επιστευον εις τον ιησουν
13 Psalm 118:25-26
15 Zechariah 9:9
16 Friedrich Nietzsche, quoted by Loren Eiseley in The Man Who Saw Through Time, p. 63
12 The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young ass and sat upon it; as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on an ass’s colt!” 16 His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees then said to one another, “You see that you can do nothing; look, the world has gone after him.”
12:12 τη επαυριον οχλος πολυς ο ελθων εις την εορτην ακουσαντες οτι ερχεται ιησους εις ιεροσολυμα 12:13 ελαβον τα βαια των φοινικων και εξηλθον εις υπαντησιν αυτω και εκραζον ωσαννα ευλογημενος ο ερχομενος εν ονοματι κυριου βασιλευς του ισραηλ 12:14 ευρων δε ο ιησους οναριον εκαθισεν επ αυτο καθως εστιν γεγραμμενον 12:15 μη φοβου θυγατερ σιων ιδου ο βασιλευς σου ερχεται καθημενος επι πωλον ονου 12:16 ταυτα δε ουκ εγνωσαν οι μαθηται αυτου το πρωτον αλλ οτε εδοξασθη [ο] ιησους τοτε εμνησθησαν οτι ταυτα ην επ αυτω γεγραμμενα και ταυτα εποιησαν αυτω 12:17 εμαρτυρει ουν ο οχλος ο ων μετ αυτου οτε τον λαζαρον εφωνησεν εκ του μνημειου και ηγειρεν αυτον εκ νεκρων 12:18 δια τουτο και υπηντησεν αυτω ο οχλος οτι ηκουσεν τουτο αυτον πεποιηκεναι το σημειον 12:19 οι ουν φαρισαιοι ειπον προς εαυτους θεωρειτε οτι ουκ ωφελειτε ουδεν ιδε ο κοσμος οπισω αυτου απηλθεν
Andrew Greeley, “Growing Up,” When Life Hurts, p. 65-67
Thomas R. Haney, Today’s Spirituality, p. 139
23-24 Mark 8:34-38
23-24 Mark 8:31
24 1 Corinthians 15:37
25 Matthew 10:39, 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24, 17:33
26 Matthew 6:21; Mark 8:34 & 38
24-26 Walter J. Burghardt, S.J., “Unless a Grain of Wheat Dies …,” Lovely in Eyes Not His, p. 188-193
24-26 Oscar Romero, The Violence of Love, p. 154-155
The Violence of Love
“But those who for love of me uproot themselves and accompany the people and go with the poor in their suffering and become incarnated and feel as their own the paon and the abuse— they will secure their lives, because my Father will reward them.”
Brothers and sisters, God’s word calls us to this today. Let me tell you with all the conviction I can muster, it is worthwhile to be a Christian. (p. 154)
To each one of us Christ is saying:
If you want your life and mission to be fruitful like mine, do as I.
Be converted into a seed that lets itself be bruised.
Let yourself be killed. Do not be afraid.
Those who shun suffering will remain alone.
No one is more alone than the selfish.
But if you give your life out of love for others
as I give mine for all, you will reap a great harvest.
You will have the deepest satisfaction.
Do not fear death or threats; the Lord goes with you. (p. 155)
24-26 Ivan Steiger, Ivan Steiger Sees the Bible, p. 246-247
24 Yusuf Al-Khal, “The Eternal Dialogue,” Divine Inspiration, p. 253
24 Wendell Berry, A Timbered Choir, p. 57
24 Wendell Berry, “The Farmer Speaking of Monuments,” Collected Poems, p. 139
“The Farmer Speaking of Monuments”
(In autumn all his monuments fall.)
But the farmer
knows no work or act of his can keep him
here. He remains in what he serves
by vanishing in it becoming what he never was.
All his sentences serve the art of the commonplace
to open the body of a woman or a field
to take him in. His words all turn
to leaves, answering the sun with mute
quick reflections. Leaving their seed his hands
have had million graves from which wonders
rose bearing him no likeness. At summer’s
height he is surrounded by green, his
doing standing for him awake and orderly.
24 Michael Hofmann, “Metempsychosis,” The New Yorker (October 16, 1995), p. 116
“Metempsychosis”
24 Howard Nemerov, “A Cabinet of Seeds Displayed,” Contemporary Religious Poetry, p. 77
“A Cabinet of Seeds Displayed”
24 John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us, p. 86
To Bless the Space Between Us
24 Pier Paolo Pasolini, “The day of My Death,” Divine Inspiration, p. 252
24 Christina Rossetti, “Spring,” Goblin Market and Other Poems, p. 20
“Spring”
24 Gary Snyder, “Journeys,” Mountains and Rivers Without End, p. 55
“Journeys”
Ko-san and I stood on a point by a cliff, over a
rock-walled canyon. Ko said, “Now we have come
to where we die.” I asked him — what’s that up there,
then — meaning the further mountains.
“That’s the world after death.” I thought it looked
just like the land we’d been traveling, and couldn’t
see why we should have to die.
24 Morris West, “quoting Lazarus,” A View from the Ridge, p. 147 f.
“quoting Lazarus”
Understand me, dear brothers, I am not talking miracles or private revelations or mystical experiences. I am talking about metanoia, that change in the self which takes place, not in contradiction to, but precisely because of, its genetic imprint, the graffito of God. … we grow towards an accommodation with the greatest mysteries of our existence. Whatever I am, I know I am not an envelope of flesh with a soul inside it. I am not Pascal’s thinking reed with a ghostly wind whistling through me.
After the change I have described, I was still myself, whole and entire, but a self renewed and changed by irrigation, as a seed is changed into a green plant in the dark earth.
25 John Dominic Crossan, The Historical Jesus, p. 353
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew went with Philip and they told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.
12:20 ησαν δε τινες ελληνες εκ των αναβαινοντων ινα προσκυνησωσιν εν τη εορτη 12:21 ουτοι ουν προσηλθον φιλιππω τω απο βηθσαιδα της γαλιλαιας και ηρωτων αυτον λεγοντες κυριε θελομεν τον ιησουν ιδειν 12:22 ερχεται φιλιππος και λεγει τω ανδρεα και παλιν ανδρεας και φιλιππος λεγουσιν τω ιησου 12:23 ο δε ιησους απεκρινατο αυτοις λεγων εληλυθεν η ωρα ινα δοξασθη ο υιος του ανθρωπου 12:24 αμην αμην λεγω υμιν εαν μη ο κοκκος του σιτου πεσων εις την γην αποθανη αυτος μονος μενει εαν δε αποθανη πολυν καρπον φερει 12:25 ο φιλων την ψυχην αυτου απολεσει αυτην και ο μισων την ψυχην αυτου εν τω κοσμω τουτω εις ζωην αιωνιον φυλαξει αυτην 12:26 εαν εμοι διακονη τις εμοι ακολουθειτω και οπου ειμι εγω εκει και ο διακονος ο εμος εσται και εαν τις εμοι διακονη τιμησει αυτον ο πατηρ
34 Psalm 110:4; Isaiah 9:7; Ezekiel 37:25; Daniel 7:14
35-36 Job 24:13-17
38 Isaiah 53:1
40 Isaiah 6:10
47 Matthew 7:1-2, 7:24-27
48 Matthew 7:23
27-33 Andrew Greeley, “Growing Up,” When Life Hurts, p. 56-67
27-33 Thomas R. Haney, Today’s Spirituality, p. 139
27 Michel Boutier, Prayers for My Village, p. 45 & 75
27 David H. C. Read, “The Inevitable Cross—Passion Sunday,” I Am Persuaded, p. 129-138
32 J. Heinrich Arnold, Discipleship, p. 228, 263
Discipleship
The cross is deeply implanted into the earth. It points to heaven, but its outstretched arms express the hunger and thirst of Jesus for all men. Christ said, “I shall draw all men to myself when I am lifted up from the earth.” (p. 228)
I do not know how Jesus will do it, but I do believe that he will draw all men to himself, and that he did not die on the cross for a few people. (p. 263)
44 John Dominic Crossan, The Historical Jesus, p. 348
27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify thy name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd standing by heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; 32 and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what death he was to die. 34 The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains for ever. How can you say that the Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man?” 35 Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”
When Jesus had said this, he departed and hid himself from them. 37 Though he had done so many signs before them, yet they did not believe in him; 38 it was that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 Therefore they could not believe. For Isaiah again said, 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.” 41 Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 42 Nevertheless many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
44 And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And he who sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden me.”
12:27 νυν η ψυχη μου τεταρακται και τι ειπω πατερ σωσον με εκ της ωρας ταυτης αλλα δια τουτο ηλθον εις την ωραν ταυτην 12:28 πατερ δοξασον σου το ονομα ηλθεν ουν φωνη εκ του ουρανου και εδοξασα και παλιν δοξασω 12:29 ο ουν οχλος ο εστως και ακουσας ελεγεν βροντην γεγονεναι αλλοι ελεγον αγγελος αυτω λελαληκεν 12:30 απεκριθη [ο] ιησους και ειπεν ου δι εμε αυτη η φωνη γεγονεν αλλα δι υμας 12:31 νυν κρισις εστιν του κοσμου τουτου νυν ο αρχων του κοσμου τουτου εκβληθησεται εξω 12:32 καγω εαν υψωθω εκ της γης παντας ελκυσω προς εμαυτον 12:33 τουτο δε ελεγεν σημαινων ποιω θανατω εμελλεν αποθνησκειν 12:34 απεκριθη αυτω ο οχλος ημεις ηκουσαμεν εκ του νομου οτι ο χριστος μενει εις τον αιωνα και πως συ λεγεις δει υψωθηναι τον υιον του ανθρωπου τις εστιν ουτος ο υιος του ανθρωπου 12:35 ειπεν ουν αυτοις ο ιησους ετι μικρον χρονον το φως μεθ υμων εστιν περιπατειτε εως το φως εχετε ινα μη σκοτια υμας καταλαβη και ο περιπατων εν τη σκοτια ουκ οιδεν που υπαγει 12:36 εως το φως εχετε πιστευετε εις το φως ινα υιοι φωτος γενησθε
ταυτα ελαλησεν ο ιησους και απελθων εκρυβη απ αυτων 12:37 τοσαυτα δε αυτου σημεια πεποιηκοτος εμπροσθεν αυτων ουκ επιστευον εις αυτον 12:38 ινα ο λογος ησαιου του προφητου πληρωθη ον ειπεν κυριε τις επιστευσεν τη ακοη ημων και ο βραχιων κυριου τινι απεκαλυφθη 12:39 δια τουτο ουκ ηδυναντο πιστευειν οτι παλιν ειπεν ησαιας 12:40 τετυφλωκεν αυτων τους οφθαλμους και πεπωρωκεν αυτων την καρδιαν ινα μη ιδωσιν τοις οφθαλμοις και νοησωσιν τη καρδια και επιστραφωσιν και ιασωμαι αυτους 12:41 ταυτα ειπεν ησαιας οτε ειδεν την δοξαν αυτου και ελαλησεν περι αυτου 12:42 ομως μεντοι και εκ των αρχοντων πολλοι επιστευσαν εις αυτον αλλα δια τους φαρισαιους ουχ ωμολογουν ινα μη αποσυναγωγοι γενωνται 12:43 ηγαπησαν γαρ την δοξαν των ανθρωπων μαλλον ηπερ την δοξαν του θεου
12:44 ιησους δε εκραξεν και ειπεν ο πιστευων εις εμε ου πιστευει εις εμε αλλ εις τον πεμψαντα με 12:45 και ο θεωρων εμε θεωρει τον πεμψαντα με 12:46 εγω φως εις τον κοσμον εληλυθα ινα πας ο πιστευων εις εμε εν τη σκοτια μη μεινη 12:47 και εαν τις μου ακουση των ρηματων και μη πιστευση εγω ου κρινω αυτον ου γαρ ηλθον ινα κρινω τον κοσμον αλλ ινα σωσω τον κοσμον 12:48 ο αθετων εμε και μη λαμβανων τα ρηματα μου εχει τον κρινοντα αυτον ο λογος ον ελαλησα εκεινος κρινει αυτον εν τη εσχατη ημερα 12:49 οτι εγω εξ εμαυτου ουκ ελαλησα αλλ ο πεμψας με πατηρ αυτος μοι εντολην εδωκεν τι ειπω και τι λαλησω 12:50 και οιδα οτι η εντολη αυτου ζωη αιωνιος εστιν α ουν λαλω εγω καθως ειρηκεν μοι ο πατηρ ουτως λαλω