Martha and Mary

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Martha and Mary

• a tradition of contemplative action

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Martha and mary

• Cassianus
• ca 360-435
• INSTITUTIONS, Chapter 18. Of the main effort
  towards the contemplation of heavenly things and
  an illustration from the case of Martha and
  Mary.
• THIS then should be our main effort and this
  steadfast purpose of heart we should constantly
  aspire after that is that the soul may ever
  cleave to God and to heavenly things. Whatever is
  alien to this, however great it may be, should be
  given the second place, or even treated as of no
  consequence, or perhaps as hurtful. We have an
  excellent illustration of this state of mind and
  condition in the gospel in the case of Martha and
  MaryFor when He says that Mary chose the good
  part, although He says nothing of Martha, and
  certainly does not appear to blame her, yet in
  praising the one, He implies that the other is
  inferior. Again when He says "which shall not be
  taken away from her" He shows that from the other
  her portion can be taken away (for a bodily
  ministry cannot last forever with a man), but
  teaches that this one's desire Marys desire
  can never have an end.

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Martha and mary

• Eckhart
• ca 1260-1327
• Mary is the virgin She felt his love and
  goodness as an embracing of her soul. This made
  her desiring and longing without knowing what she
  longed for. She felt a sweet comfort and pleasure
  by listening to the words, spoken by Christ.
•  
• Martha is the fruitful virgin
• According to Eckhart she is of mature age and
  her interior life is that of an adult. She knew
  how to focus her exterior activities. And she was
  aware of the high dignity of her beloved guest.

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Martha and mary

• The cloud of unknowing
• 1381
• IN the gospel of Saint Luke it is written, that
  when our Lord was in the house of Martha, Mary
  her sister sat at His feet all the time that
  Martha was busy with the preparation of His meal.
  And as she listened to him she regarded neither
  her sisters busy-ness, (although her busy-ness
  was good and holy, is it not the first part of
  active life?) nor his precious and blessed
  physical perfection, nor the sweetness of his
  human voice and words (although this is better
  and holier, for this is the second part of active
  life and the first part of contemplative life).
  But what she was looking at, was the supreme
  wisdom of his Godhead shrouded by the words of
  his humanity.
• And on this she gazed with all the love of her
  heart. Nothing she saw or heard could make her
  move, but there she sat, completely still, with
  deep delight and with an urgent love eagerly
  reaching out into that high cloud of unknowing
  between her and her God.

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Martha and mary

• Amelry
• ca 1550
• Loving soul, the receptivity of your spirit is
  so wide, so great, that not one of all things can
  fill it, except one thing that is necessary that
  one thing that no one shall take from you, that
  one exclusive thing which to know you were
  created knowing it, to love it loving it, to
  obtain it obtaining it, to enjoy it forever.
  That is the one thing in which alone you find
  resolved all that you might seek elsewhere. And
  although you found everything else, but not that
  one thing, you have not so found what will
  satisfy and gratify you. Wherever you set to
  work also, other than that one thing, you set to
  work at nothing at all. Do you not see that if
  someone falls in the water, and his hand
  encounters a reed, the reed breaks, it does not
  support him, it does not save him. In like
  manner, O loving soul, set your heart on
  something that is not this one thing, it will
  leave you in the lurch, like the reed, it will
  not stick to you, but let you sink in the water
  of concern and sorrow.
•  
• Soul
• Ah, beloved foster-mother, you put it so well
  I, poor idiot, have so often experienced what you
  say. If I could only satisfy myself with that
  one thing, then I would have found what I sought
  so long.

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Martha and mary

• Teresa of Avila
• 1515-1582
• Life, chapter 17, 4
• In a certain state of prayer, the soul, which
  would willingly neither stir nor move, is
  delighting in the holy repose of Mary but in
  this prayer it can be like Martha also.
  Accordingly, the soul is, as it were, living the
  active and contemplative life at once, and is
  able to apply itself to works of charity and the
  affairs of its state, and to spiritual reading.

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Martha and mary

• Teresa of Avila
• 1515-1582
• Way of Perfection, chapter 31,3-5
• It is a great favour which the Lord grants to
  these souls, for it unites the active life with
  the contemplative. At such times they serve the
  Lord in both these ways at once the will, while
  in contemplation, is working without knowing how
  it does so the other two faculties are serving
  Him as Martha did. Thus Martha and Mary work
  together. I know someone to whom the Lord often
  granted this favour she could not understand it
  and asked a great contemplative about it, he told
  her that what she described was quite possible
  and had happened to himself. I think, therefore,
  that as the soul experiences such satisfaction in
  this Prayer of Quiet the will must be almost
  continuously united with Him Who alone can give
  it happiness.

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Martha and mary

• Teresa of Avila
• 1515-1582
• Meditations on the Song of Songs, 7,2-3
• Martha and Mary never fail to work almost
  together when the soul is in this state. For in
  the active-and seemingly exterior-work the soul
  is working interiorly. And when the active works
  rise from this interior root, they become lovely
  and very fragrant flowers. For they proceed from
  this tree of God's love and are done for Him
  alone, without any self-interest. The fragrance
  from these flowers spreads to the benefit of
  many. It is a fragrance that lasts, not passing
  quickly, but having great effect.

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Martha and mary

• Teresa of Avila
• 1515-1582
• Interior Castle, mansion 7, chapter 4, 12-13
• Believe me, both Martha and Mary must entertain
  our Lord and keep Him as their Guest.

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Martha and mary

• John of the Cross
• 1542-1591
• Spiritual Canticle, str. 29, 12
•  
• IN truth the soul is now lost to all things, and
  gained only to love, and the mind is no longer
  occupied with anything else. It is, therefore,
  deficient in what concerns the active life, and
  other exterior duties, that it may apply in
  earnest to the one thing which the Bridegroom has
  pronounced necessary and that is waiting upon
  God, and the continuous practice of His love. So
  precious is this in the eyes of God that He
  rebuked Martha because she would withdraw Mary
  from His feet to occupy her actively in the
  service of our Lord. Martha thought that she was
  doing everything herself, and that Mary at the
  feet of Christ was doing nothing. But it was far
  otherwise for there is nothing better or more
  necessary than love.

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Martha and mary

• John of the Cross
• 1542-1591
• Spiritual Canticle, str. 29, 12
•  
• 2. Observe, however, that if the soul has not
  reached the state of unitive love, it is
  necessary for it to make acts of love, as well in
  the active as in the contemplative life. But when
  it has reached it, it is not requisite it should
  occupy itself in other and exterior duties --
  unless they are matters of obligation -- which
  might hinder, were it but for a moment, the life
  of love in God, though they may minister greatly
  to His service because an instant of pure love
  is more precious in the eyes of God and the soul,
  and more profitable to the Church, than all other
  good works together, though it may seem as if
  nothing were done. Thus, Mary Magdalene, though
  her preaching was most edifying, and might have
  been still more so afterwards, out of the great
  desire she had to please her Bridegroom and
  benefit the Church, hid herself, nevertheless, in
  the desert thirty years, that she might surrender
  herself entirely to love for she considered that
  she would gain more in that way, because an
  instant of pure love is so much more profitable
  and important to the Church.

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Martha and mary

• Francis of Sales
• 1567-1622
•  
• Conference XII, On simplicity and religious
  prudence
• The virtue we have now to treat is so necessary
  that, although I have often spoken of it, you
  still desire that I should devote a whole
  Conference to the subject. Now, in the first
  place, it is necessary to understand what this
  virtue of simplicity is. You know that, generally
  speaking, we call a thing simple when it is not
  embroidered, lined, or of more than one colour.
  For instance, we say, that person is dressed very
  simply, when her dress is only of one material
  that is a simple dress I mean, with no trimming
  or lining which we can see, and no outside
  ornamentation. Well, simplicity is nothing else
  than an act of pure and simple charity, having
  one only aim and end, which is to acquire the
  love of God and our soul is simple when in all
  that we do or desire we have no other aim.

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Martha and mary

• Francis of Sales
•  
• The well-known story of the two hostesses, Martha
  and Magdalen who entertained Our Lord, is most
  noteworthy for this very thing. Do you not see
  that although Martha's desire to show great
  hospitality to Our Lord was laudable, yet she was
  reproved by that divine Master, because she added
  another motive to the good object which made her
  so eager to serve Him. For, looking upon Our Lord
  as Man, and believing Him to be like ordinary
  human beings who cannot be satisfied with a
  simple meal of one dish, she bustled about, busy
  in the preparation of many and varied dishes.
  Thus, to the first pure aim of the love of God,
  she added many little secondary motives, for
  which she was reproved by Our Lord Martha,
  Martha, you are careful and are troubled about
  many things, but one thing is necessary Mary has
  chosen the best part, which shall not be taken
  away from her. This act of simple charity, then,
  which allows us to have no other aim in all our
  actions but the one desire of pleasing God, is
  Marys part, which is alone necessary. This is
  simplicity, a virtue which is inseparable from
  charity, inasmuch as it looks straight to God,
  without ever suffering any admixture of
  selfinterest. It would otherwise no longer be
  simplicity, for that virtue cannot endure any
  addition of creatures or any consideration of
  them. God alone finds place in it.

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Martha and mary

• Michael of St. Augustine
• 1621-1684
• Martha and Mary must live together in harmony,
  not only in the sense we expressed elsewhere,
  that is to say that religious at times practise
  Marthas services or a life of work, studying,
  preaching, visiting the sick or being busy in
  other works of love, and in due time resuming the
  religious acts of Mary, in other words,
  contemplative life, meditating, praying in
  solitude and remaining silent etc., but also in a
  different sense that is in such a way that Mary
  will moderate Martha in her activity, teach and
  rule her in all her works. Nor must Martha in the
  least make so bold as to act without the guidance
  and co-operation of Mary, whom Martha must not at
  any time or in any way disturb in her inner
  solitude, in her spiritual sleep of love and in
  the loving union with her Beloved One for Mary
  must collect her inspiration, strength, wisdom
  and discretion to control and rule Martha, i.e.
  to practise and regulate the material worries in
  accordance with Gods intention likewise, when
  Martha is very busy and, according to the
  situation, the material works must be done, Mary
  must not let her down on the pretext of devotion
  and inner rest but must faithfully give her a
  hand, giving her strength and comfort, enjoying
  the elaboration of divine pleasure, etc.

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Martha and mary

• Mgr. Zwijsen
• 1794-1877
• Martha was occupied with the human in Christ
• You all know the story of MARY and MARTHA, the
  two sisters who were especially beloved by the
  divine Savior. Our Savior one time visited them
  and planned to stay a while. MARTHA was worried
  over the preparation of food and anxious that all
  her efforts would not be sufficient, while MARY
  was concerned only to show her love for the
  Savior and to listen to his divine word. MARTHA
  was too preoccupied with the human in Christ.
  Noting this, he admonished her MARTHA, MARTHA,
  you are worried and anxious about many things
  but only one thing is needed. MARY has chosen the
  good part, which will not be taken away from her
  (Lk. 1041-42). Thus also a religious, following
  Marys example, should only exert herself and
  strive to love him and this with no other aim
  than to please him and to love him eternally in
  heaven, in a word she should conduct herself
  without any ulterior motives, without any
  competing aims of her own.

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15.45 16.45 Group work in prayer groups

• Choose together a text.
• Read the text, be silent for a while,
• share what touches you most in the text.