Heart Undivided

"Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of great price, and anointed the feet of
Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment."
John 12:3

"​Those who have been given
the priceless gift of following
the Lord Jesus more closely​
consider it obvious that he can and
must be served with an undivided heart,
that one can devote​ to him one's
whole life, and not merely
​ certain actions or occasional
​moments or activities....

"The precious ointment
poured out as a pure act of love,
and thus transcending all
"utilitarian" considerations,
is a sign of unbounded generosity,
as expressed in a life spent in
loving and serving the Lord,
in order to devote oneself to
his person and his
​Mystical Body....

"From such a life 'poured out' without reserve there spreads a fragrance which fills
the whole house. The house of God, the Church, today no less than in the past, is
​adorned and enriched by the presence of the consecrated life....

"What in people's eyes can
seem a waste is, for the individuals
captivated in the depths of their heart by the beauty and goodness of the Lord, an obvious response of love, a joyful expression of gratitude for having been admitted in a unique way to the knowledge of the Son ​and to a sharing in his divine mission in the world....

"'If any of God's children were to know and taste divine love, the uncreated God,
the incarnate God, the God who endured suffering, the God who is the supreme good,
they would give themselves completely to him, they would withdraw not only from other creatures but even from their very selves, and with all their being would love this God
​of love to the point of being completely transformed into the God-man, who is the
supreme Beloved'." ~ Vita Consecrata 104