New Thing- Read Augustine's Sermon about Mary & Martha
Inspiration: The Feast of Mary and Martha of Bethany
Time: A few mins.
Bottom Line: "The things which were made, are many, He who made them is One." - St. Augustine
Reflection: Today is the Feast of Mary and her sister Martha of Bethany. In honor of their feast, I read a sermon written another saint, St. Augustine of Hippo (Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church). You can find different versions of sermons he wrote on Luke 10:38-42 here and here. Here is my favorite part:
But a wicked life was far from that house, and was neither with Martha nor with Mary; and if it ever had been, it fled at the Lord's entrance. There remained then in that house, which had received the Lord, in the two women the two lives, both harmless, both praiseworthy; the one of labour, the other of ease; neither vicious, neither slothful. Both harmless, both, I say, praiseworthy: but one of labour, the other of ease: neither vicious, which the life of labour must beware of; neither slothful, which the life of ease must beware of. There were then in that house these two lives, and Himself, the Fountain of life. In Martha was the image of things present, in Mary of things to come. What Martha was doing, that we are now; what Mary was doing, that we hope for. Let us do the first well, that we may have the second fully.
In this section, Augustine is showing us how, while both women were being attentive to the Lord, Martha was focusing on things temporal and Mary was dwelling on things eternal. The question becomes, how do we lead a life that is active for God and yet spends time resting in his presence?
More prayer. The answer always seems to be more prayer. ;)
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