Following is the prepared text from Bishop Olmsted’s homily for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion.

“Why this waste of perfumed oil!”

March 28, 2021

Among all those present to Jesus during His Passion, there was a woman whose name we do not know, who dared to be different from the crowd, who had the nerve to do something for Jesus that prompted an angry shout: “What – a – waste!” The woman’s public display of love for Jesus looked like a useless waste of precious oil to those who did not believe Him to be the Son of God.

“The poor could have been helped,” they shouted, “That perfumed oil, with a value of 300-days-work – think of all the starving poor it could have fed.” The crowd “was infuriated with her.” Nonetheless, undeterred by their disdain for her and for the One whom she loved with all her heart, the woman “broke the alabaster jar of costly genuine spikenard and poured it all on Jesus’ head.” She intentionally broke the alabaster jar to acclaim in gesture, “This is totally yours. I hold nothing back for myself.” By bold gesture, without a spoken word, she acclaimed “Jesus, you are worthy of all my love. In truth, you are worthy of far more.”

Notice that Jesus came to the defense of the woman, saying, “Let her alone…She has done a good thing for me…She has anticipated anointing my body for burial. Amen, I say to you, wherever the Gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” Jesus’ prophecy has proven true: nearly 2000 years have passed since that day, and in Churches around the world this Palm Sunday, the woman is being remembered as one who was not embarrassed to be extravagant in her love of Jesus. The gift of His life on the Cross deserves such bountiful love. Would that you and I had courage like her to stand apart from an unbelieving crowd and dare to affirm our love and our conviction about the priceless value of the sacrifice Jesus offered on the Cross. This woman without a name saw the unspeakable depths of Jesus’ love, whereas the crowd only saw it as a terrible waste!

It is good to recall too, another woman whose name we do not know but whose great love also set her apart from another crowd (Cf. Mk 12:41-44). Jesus’ encounter with her took place while many were putting alms into the Temple treasury, including some of the wealthy who gave large sums of money. Only one person did Jesus point out to His disciples: a poor widow who put in only two small coins worth a few cents. In similar fashion to the unknown woman of today’s Gospel, Jesus also praised the poor widow whose gift, although very small by monetary standards, amounted to the total gift of herself, giving of all she had to live on. And she did it gladly, out of overflowing love of Jesus.

These two women of the Gospel had faith and love strong enough to do what most people considered a waste, or what most were afraid to do because of what others might say. But what others said did not matter to the two women. They were free from worry about public opinion. They knew the One whom they loved deserved far more than they could ever give. But still, to Him alone they made what amounted to an extravagant gift of love.

On this Palm Sunday and throughout Holy Week, the Church prays and encourages us to be extravagant in our love of Christ. Pope Francis urges us to do this in the Eucharist. Listen to the Holy Father’s words,

“We cannot know the Lord without the habit of worship, to worship in silence, adoration… Allow me to say this: waste time in front of the Lord, [waste time] in front of the mystery of Jesus Christ. Worship Him. There in silence, the silence of adoration, He is the Savior… worship Him.”

Love is expressed through sacrifice, making a gift of oneself for the good of another, putting the needs of the one we love ahead of our own. The unknown woman and the poor widow remind us that love begins by striving to love Jesus with all our mind and heart; then, in Him and through Him, we find the grace to love our neighbor as our self. St. John writes (I Jn 3:16): “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our sisters and brothers.”

Married love, friendship, love of neighbor, even love of enemy – every human love is the fruit of Jesus’ suffering and death. By His wounds we are healed. Through His Holy Cross, Jesus rescued a world gone mad. He loved us while we were still unlovable. His great love even unto death on the Cross makes it possible for us to imitate Him: to love others as He loves us.

By gazing with reverence on Jesus in His Blood poured out as love, we discover the meaning of His words: “This is my Body, given up for you… This is my Blood, the Blood of the new and everlasting Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

When the unknown woman anointed Jesus’ head with the costly oil, it was a symbolic recognition of Jesus as the Messiah, God’s anointed one. And it also symbolically recognized Him as the Great High Priest, anointed with the fragrant oil of mercy, who offers Himself as the victim that ransoms us from our sins. What wonderful and wasteful love is adoration on Jesus on the Cross and worship of Him in the Eucharist.