God is spendthrift. Today’s reading from Isaiah says that God stretched out the heavens and spreads crops across the earth and gives breath to people. What do I do with all this overflow of blessings? In John’s Gospel, Mary, the sister of Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead, is also spendthrift. She uses a whole liter (~ a quart) of costly perfumed oil on Jesus’ feet. Am I ever that lavish when I show love? Why would God create so much beauty if it was not for my delight? Do I delight in it? Can I ever do enough for others to show my love of God, (since I cannot do as Mary did) knowing that everyone I meet is Jesus. The costly perfume is only a symbol. Oil was used for everything from cooking to cleaning, from burning in lamps to prepping for special rites. The symbol is that everything we have is for our life but is not to be kept for ourselves. I must hold everything with open hands, including my life. I must strive to be as spendthrift as God.
