Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of costly perfumed oil, and poured it on his head while he was reclining at table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and said, “Why this waste? It could have been sold for much, and the money given to the poor.” Since Jesus knew this, he said to them, “Why do you make trouble for the woman? She has done a good thing for me. The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me. In pouring this perfumed oil upon my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Amen, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be spoken of, in memory of her.”  

The glory of the fantasy animation movie "Up" is that Carl and Ellie's goal is finally achieved, namely their dream house settled right next to the beauty of Paradise Falls. But as it turns out, the goal is not important at all; it is the adventure that it took to get it there. The adventure was what life was all about, and it was life lived as it should have been lived--with true love and concern for others. Carl learned to care about Russell; he learned to care about Kevin, the exotic bird; he learned that life has many unfortunate people like Charles F. Muntz who do not care about anyone except themselves, who often confuse goals and ways to achieve them. Most of all, he learned simply to care and be concerned about life no matter how bitter one may feel, something more important than any material thing or man-made accomplishment.

What does a fulfilled life mean? For Carl Fredrickson of the movie "Up," there was a succession of answers. First of all, it meant a happy life with Ellie, then it meant that he would live his and Ellie's dream of becoming explorers and going to Paradise Falls, and finally as he comes to the end of the adventure, it meant that he would learn to care for another. In the end, he learned that others, whether it be animal or a neglected child, have an important place in our lives, and indeed, that a fulfilled life is nothing more than honestly caring about others.

Carl Fredrickson's gradual understanding of care for others was not unlike the love Jesus showed those who sought his help in the Gospels. As Jesus worked with people whom others looked down upon, like the woman in Matthew’s Gospel, he leads them to a peace that they had probably never felt before they met this wonderful man. Jesus’ display of love and care for the woman in this Gospel gave her the sense of fulfillment that she no doubt had always wanted in her life.

The lesson of Jesus and indeed someone like Carl Fredrickson is not a difficult one to comprehend: we must learn to care, and if we have not learned it yet, we should begin no matter how late in life it is. But, the lesson is difficult to imitate. Our human natures want to hold back.  But we Christians must recognize more and more the effects of Jesus’ directive to care about our neighbors. If we do, more people will be able to lead fulfilled lives, and we will learn that love is the necessary condition for lives to be wholesome.       

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son taught us to care about life, to care about creation, and especially to care about others. It is a difficult lesson because we tend to be too concerned about ourselves. Help us to understand better the virtue of truly caring. Be with us, we pray. 

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©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America