Holy Wednesday commemorates the fourth day of creation, when God placed luminaries within the firmament of heaven and thereby heralded the birth of Christ, the Sun of Righteousness. Holy Wednesday is a picture of the fourth period, when Abraham received the news of Isaac’s birth (Genesis 17), the Jews left Egypt (Exodus 12:14), the Tabernacle was prepared (Exodus 25-27), and the children of Israel were transported to the Promised Land (Joshua 1-19).

Today we commemorate the anointing of Jesus Christ by the woman in Bethany and the betrayal of the Lord. The woman anoints Jesus with precious lavender oil. The disciples are angry, because by selling that oil, alms could have been given to many poor people. Jesus answers this complaint of the disciples.

“You have the poor with you every hour, but you will not always have me with you. By pouring that oil on my body, he foretold my burial. But I tell you the truth, wherever this Gospel is preached in the whole world, it will also be told in memory of what he did” (Matt. 26:11-13).

The evangelical reading of Holy Wednesday urges not to abuse God’s love and trust, to always remember His sufferings and death for humanity, not to deviate from the true path, to worship and glorify God.

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