Mar 22, 2026 Written by 

«Feet» to be reached

The supper at Bethany is one of the most beautiful and moving passages in John's Gospel.

Mary sprinkles Jesus' feet with a pound of highly perfumed spikenard oil, which Jesus accepts as a foreshadowing of his burial. Onlookers are scandalised by the 'waste'.

Francis of Assisi, thinking of the Passion and death of Jesus, mourned the unloved Love in every way; in every place and person.

He recognised him especially in the poor and derelict, in the lepers kept on the margins of society - and among them he poured out the perfume of Charity without which we are only tinkling cymbals.

The Sources help us look for and spot episodes that depict this washing of Jesus' feet and perfuming them in the abandoned and rejected.

"Loving every form of humility, she moved in with the lepers, staying with them and serving them all with great care.

He washed their feet, bandaged sores, removed the rot from sores and cleansed them of purulence.

He would also, driven by admirable devotion, kiss their festering wounds, he who would soon become the Good Samaritan of the Gospel" (FF 1045).

The Minim sprinkled with compassion and love the feet of those wounded by life and anointed them with the oil of consolation.

His thoughtful humility was evidenced by the way he placed himself at everyone's feet.

"One day mounted on a donkey, because weak and infirm he could not go on foot, he crossed the field of a farmer, who was working.

The latter ran up to him and asked him thoughtfully if he was Brother Francis. He humbly replied that he was the one he was looking for:

«See," said the peasant, "that you are as good as everyone says you are, for many have confidence in you. That is why I urge you never to behave differently from what you hope».

Francis, at these words, dismounted from the donkey and, prostrating himself before the farmer, several times kissed his feet humbly thanking him that he had deigned to admonish him" (FF 726).

Standing at the feet of every creature, the Poverello exhaled "the waste" of that charity, the preventer and healer of all evil.

So was Clare, sprinkling the special ointment of Love that aims to heal and resurrect those who lie in human forgetfulness.

The «feet» in the Franciscan path, are a place of encounter, of loving exchange, of nakedness that all awaits from every creature of good will.

The feet of the humble, of the poor, of the sick were for Francis and Clare the crucified feet of the Son of God, nailed to the cross so that we might all walk towards one another.

 

«Mary then took a pound of genuine spikenard perfume of great value, anointed the feet of Jesus and dried his feet with her hair. Now the House was filled with the fragrance of the perfume» (Jn 12:3)

 

 

Holy Monday  (Jn 12:1-11)

207 Last modified on Sunday, 22 March 2026 04:21
Teresa Girolami

Teresa Girolami è laureata in Materie letterarie e Teologia. Ha pubblicato vari testi, fra cui: "Pellegrinaggio del cuore" (Ed. Piemme); "I Fiammiferi di Maria - La Madre di Dio in prosa e poesia"; "Tenerezza Scalza - Natura di donna"; co-autrice di "Dialogo e Solstizio".

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Wherever people want to set themselves up as God they cannot but set themselves against each other. Instead, wherever they place themselves in the Lord’s truth they are open to the action of his Spirit who sustains and unites them (Pope Benedict
Dove gli uomini vogliono farsi Dio, possono solo mettersi l’uno contro l’altro. Dove invece si pongono nella verità del Signore, si aprono all’azione del suo Spirito che li sostiene e li unisce (Papa Benedetto)
But our understanding is limited: thus, the Spirit's mission is to introduce the Church, in an ever new way from generation to generation, into the greatness of Christ's mystery. The Spirit places nothing different or new beside Christ; no pneumatic revelation comes with the revelation of Christ - as some say -, no second level of Revelation (Pope Benedict)
Ma la nostra capacità di comprendere è limitata; perciò la missione dello Spirito è di introdurre la Chiesa in modo sempre nuovo, di generazione in generazione, nella grandezza del mistero di Cristo. Lo Spirito non pone nulla di diverso e di nuovo accanto a Cristo; non c’è nessuna rivelazione pneumatica accanto a quella di Cristo - come alcuni credono - nessun secondo livello di Rivelazione (Papa Benedetto)
Who touched Lydia's heart? The answer is: «the Holy Spirit». It’s He who made this woman feel that Jesus was Lord; He made this woman feel that salvation was in Paul's words; He made this woman feel a testimony (Pope Francis)
Chi ha toccato il cuore di Lidia? La risposta è: «lo Spirito Santo». È lui che ha fatto sentire a questa donna che Gesù era il Signore; ha fatto sentire a questa donna che la salvezza era nelle parole di Paolo; ha fatto sentire a questa donna una testimonianza (Papa Francesco)
But what does it mean to love Christ?  It means trusting him even in times of trial, following him faithfully even on the Via Crucis, in the hope that soon the morning of the Resurrection will come.  Entrusting ourselves to Christ, we lose nothing, we gain everything.  In his hands our life acquires its true meaning.  Love for Christ expresses itself in the will to harmonize our own life with the thoughts and sentiments of his Heart.  This is achieved through interior union [Pope Benedict]
Ma che vuol dire amare Cristo? Vuol dire fidarsi di Lui anche nell'ora della prova, seguirLo fedelmente anche sulla Via Crucis, nella speranza che presto verrà il mattino della risurrezione. Affidandoci a Cristo non perdiamo niente, ma acquistiamo tutto. Nelle sue mani la nostra vita acquista il suo vero senso. L'amore per Cristo si esprime nella volontà di sintonizzare la propria vita con i pensieri e i sentimenti del suo Cuore. Questo si realizza mediante l'unione interiore [Papa Benedetto]
St Thomas Aquinas says this very succinctly when he writes: "The New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit" (Summa Theologiae, I-IIae, q.106 a. 1). The New Law is not another commandment more difficult than the others: the New Law is a gift, the New Law is the presence of the Holy Spirit [Pope Benedict]
San Tommaso d’Aquino lo dice in modo molto preciso quando scrive: “La nuova legge è la grazia dello Spirito Santo” (Summa theologiae, I-IIae, q. 106, a. 1). La nuova legge non è un altro comando più difficile degli altri: la nuova legge è un dono, la nuova legge è la presenza dello Spirito Santo [Papa Benedetto]
Even after seeing his people's repeated unfaithfulness to the covenant, this God is still willing to offer his love, creating in man a new heart (John Paul II)
Anche dopo aver registrato nel suo popolo una ripetuta infedeltà all’alleanza, questo Dio è disposto ancora ad offrire il proprio amore, creando nell’uomo un cuore nuovo (Giovanni Paolo II)

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