Hospitality and Spirituality

July is not only a summer holiday month, but also a month that includes special recognition in many church calendars of some significant women in the Christian Tradition: Mary Magdalene, whose feast day is celebrated on 22nd July; and Martha and Mary, who along with their brother Lazarus are celebrated a week later, on 29th July.

I have a particular fondness for Mary and Martha, and have been pondering how some of their qualities can be seen and experienced here at the Bield.

In Luke chapter 10 we see that Martha, often thought of as the ‘doer’, is keeping very busy tending to the needs of the household and the care of guests. Mary, often thought of as Martha’s meek, contemplative counterpart, is sitting at Jesus’ feet as he teaches.

Taken separately, it is easy to be critical and find shortcomings in each, and we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of sizing them up in dualistic opposition – the busy ‘doer’ vs the wistful contemplative. Each woman has a depth of character worth exploring more fully, and I strongly encourage doing so.*

Taken together, I see that Mary and Martha embody a holistic ministry and way of life. Martha’s commitment to hospitality stands out in this passage, as she readies the kitchen to feed and serve their guests. There is a tremendous care for the guests implied in her frustration when Mary is engaged in an activity other than helping her.

At the same time, Mary’s commitment to spiritual nourishment is apparent as she devotes her focus to Jesus and his teaching – the ‘better part’ as Jesus declares when admonishing Martha’s frustration with Mary.

Both are important commitments and are best lived out when the focus is on the message of Jesus. This can be seen in a liturgical context – Martha embodies a sacramental role related to preparing for a shared eucharistic meal while Mary embodies a sacramental role of breaking open the Word.

These qualities of hospitality and spirituality can also be seen here at the Bield and are two of our key values. While individual teams here are focused on each independently, together we strive to live out both values in service to our guests.

Even the little red squirrels on site seem to display these values. In recent weeks in the walled garden, during morning or evening prayer or times of spiritual conversation, two of these little creatures have been spotted embodying qualities from the story of Mary and Martha. One is often busy with the food from the feeder while the other will occasionally sit on the wall and observe what is happening in our prayer.

It is lovely to experience them both and to be reminded of the importance of these two core values of hospitality and spirituality. Another core value of the Bield is healing, which will make a nice topic for a future blog.

Until then, eat, drink, and don’t forget about Mary.

Karen

Footnote

* Why not consider them further in one of our upcoming programmes, such as Her Space starting in September or When Women Lead the Way, being offered next year.