In Sunday School we considered some hard, direct words from Malachi, God's messenger, about how Israel was falling short and disappointing God in their marriage covenants. Too many were being faithless to those who were meant to be life-long partners and just as many were marrying outside the faith. The Life With God Bible Commentary reminds us: "The quality of our relationship with God will be no better than the quality of our relationships with others." Are we committed to our covenants? Are we being faithful?
On this Sunday before the commemoration of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we stopped with Jesus in Bethany. Was there ever two people more different that Judas Iscariot and Mary with her extravagant gift of perfume? His false piety and her genuine heart, his ignorance of who Jesus is and her unself-conscious adoration of the Lord of her life. We join with Mary and St. Ambrose of Milan (whose prayer was our Call to Worship): "give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore Thee, a heart to delight in Thee, to follow and enjoy Thee, for Christ's sake, Amen."
