Discipleship: The call to integrate Martha and Mary
A reading from the gospel according to Luke
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In the course of their journey Jesus and the disciples came to a village, and a woman named |
Before this encounter at the house of Martha as portrayed in Luke’s gospel, we have Jesus teaching through story. He has just told the parable of the Good Samaritan, a story in which the religious leaders and educated Jews did not respond to a person in need. It was a foreigner, an outsider from Samaria, who was filled with compassion for the stranger and responded in the manner in which Jesus was endeavouring to form his disciples…
We now move to another domestic scene in the home of Martha and Mary as recounted in John’s gospel. Martha welcomes him… she is a woman of hospitality…. Mary chooses to sit and listen…. Both prayer and service are essential for us to engage fruitfully in mission… the challenge for us is to integrate Mary and Martha in our lives… Let us explore the dynamic within the family from what John tells us….. |
A reading from the gospel according to John Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from |
FOR REFLECTION
Art is full of symbolism… look how artists, three and a half centuries apart, have captured Martha, Mary and Jesus as portrayed in the gospels… Look at the placement of characters, the colours, the gestures, what is central…. Let them draw you into the heart of the encounters depicted here….. Capture what you see, hear, feel in a poem, prayer, art… Share your musings with the person next to you…. At a later time you might search the web for various interpretations of this art…. |
Let us pray with each of these women
Ah, Martha, |
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Let us anoint each other for mission….
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Anoint me with the oil of integrity, O God,
and the seal of your sanctifying Spirit. Anoint my HEAD so that all of my thoughts come forth from the well of Your Being to fill me with grace and peace. Anoint my EYES so that I might see your presence and providence clearly. Anoint my EARS that I might hear the cry of the poor all around me and the whisper of Your word. Anoint my LIPS that I might proclaim the Good News of Your Mission and the meaning of Jesus the Christ. Anoint my HANDS to hold and heal the many lives that are broken, that I may do good, do what I must to bring hope into hopelessness. Anoint my FEET to walk in your ways, to run and never grow weary, to stand up for justice unafraid. Anoint my HEART with warmth and compassion and a genuine generosity toward all who are in need. Anoint the whole of me, O Holy One, that I too may be holy. Anoint my spirit for mission, that I might reach out and into the heart of the whole hurting world. Anoint my soul for ministry, that I might have the courage to respond with the whole of my being to the daily demands of grace. Anoint me with the oil of integrity, O God, and the seal of your sanctifying Spirit. Miriam Therese Winter – Woman Word |
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Send forth singing the song 'Love, Serve and Remember' |