Which Way Do I Turn?

As I prayed with this passage, I was drawn first to the moment itself. Mary pours out something costly and beautiful for Jesus, an act of love that holds nothing back. Judas immediately objects. As John tells us, it is not really about the poor, but because he is a thief.

That detail stayed with me—Judas is called a thief. And it brought to mind another moment: the two thieves crucified with Jesus. Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, the great Catholic bishop and preacher said “the only real choice we have is which thief we will be.” He was talking about the two crucified with Jesus. Judas makes three.

All three are, in a sense, the same. Each stands close to Christ. Each has sinned. Yet their responses are very different.

One thief turns toward Jesus and says, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” The other turns away, mocking and demanding. Judas, too, stands in that same place. He feels remorse, but instead of turning back to Christ, he turns inward.

Sitting with this, I began to see that the question is not whether we have sinned, but what we do in response. One thief entrusts himself to Jesus and receives mercy. Judas cannot receive it.

Mary, in her own way, shows something different again. She does not take—she gives. She pours herself out in love, holding nothing back.

In prayer, I am left with a simple question: when I fall, which way do I turn? Do I turn back to Christ in trust, or do I remain turned in on myself?