Above: The Anointing of Jesus, from The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964)
A Screen Capture via PowerDVD
Kindness, Love, and Gratitude
AUGUST 28-30, 2023
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The Collect:
O God, with all your faithful followers in every age, we praise you, the rock of our life.
Be our strong foundation and form us into the body of your Son,
that we may gladly minister to all the world,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 45
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Samuel 7:3-13 (Monday)
Deuteronomy 32:18-20, 28-39 (Tuesday)
Isaiah 28:14-22 (Wednesday)
Psalm 18:1-3, 20-32 (All Days)
Romans 2:1-11 (Monday)
Romans 11:33-36 (Tuesday)
Matthew 26:6-13 (Wednesday)
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I love you, O Lord my strength.
The Lord is my crag, my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, the rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation and my stronghold.
I cried to the Lord in my anguish
and I was saved from my enemies.
–Psalm 18:1-3, Common Worship (2000)
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Each of the four canonical Gospels contains an account of a woman anointing Jesus–Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:36-50, and John 12:1-8. The versions are sufficiently similar to indicate that they are variations on the same event yet different enough to disagree on certain details, such as chronology, at whose house the anointing happened, which part of his body the woman anointed, and the woman’s background. These factors tell me that something occurred, but the divergence among the written accounts means that I have no way of knowing exactly what transpired in objective reality. None of that changes one iota of the spiritual value of the stories, however.
In the Matthew account our Lord and Savior, about to die, is a the home of one Simon the leper in Bethany. We know nothing about the woman’s background, not even her name. In the Gospel of Luke she is an unnamed and repentant sinner, in the Gospel of John she is St. Mary of Bethany, and in the Gospel of Mark she is also an unnamed woman of whose background we know nothing. The importance of her–whoever she was–act was that unselfish love and gratitude motivated it. This was an extravagant and beautiful deed. Yes, the poor will always be with us; that is an unfortunate reality. May, through the creation of more opportunities for advancement, there be as little poverty as possible. But, as we strive for that goal, may we never fail to recognize and give proper attention to lavish kindness, love, and gratitude.
The woman (whoever she was) had a good attitude and a pure motivation. Most of the assigned readings for these days, however, speak of people who did not. Their memorials were wastelands and periods of exile. The woman’s legacy is an honored one, however. Her act, as extravagant as it was, was as nothing compared to what God has done, is doing, and will do for all of us. Even the most lavish act of gratitude–beautiful, to be sure, is inadequate, but God accepts it graciously.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 19, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT POEMAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINTS JOHN THE DWARF AND ARSENIUS THE GREAT, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONKS
THE FEAST OF SAINT AMBROSE AUTPERT, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN PLESSINGTON, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MACRINA THE YOUNGER, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN
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ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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