When we are most profoundly ourselves

Indeed, to the question as to what distinguishes the human being from an animal, as to what is specifically different about human beings, the answer has to be that they are the beings that God made capable of thinking and praying. They are most profoundly themselves when they discover their relation to their Creator. Therefore the image of God also means that human persons are beings of word and of love, beings moving toward Another, oriented to giving themselves to the Other and only truly receiving themselves back in real self-giving.

Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI),

In the Beginning…: A Catholic Understanding

of the Story of Creation and the Fall

You can see why this book is so deeply satisfying. This excerpt can't give you a sense of the logic that Ratzinger follows but it leads inexorably to the point above. 

As someone who had God nudge them into the St. Vincent de Paul Society, I can testify about "real self-giving." It has been forcibly brought home that when Jesus talks about the judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46), he's pointing out that helping our neighbors is not only for their own good. It is also for our own full flowering as the people he means us to be. At least that is the path upon which I have found myself.

Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus

This has long been Saint Martha's feast day in the Roman rite, but Pope Francis made it a memorial for the whole family. I think that is simply wonderful because the traces of stories about Jesus with them shows a side of love, friendship, and familiarity with God that is priceless.

Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary by Tintoretto, 16th century
It is hard to find a painting of all three with Jesus
but I feel as if Lazarus is at the end of the table listening.

 

After Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, they gave a dinner in his honor at Bethany — and Martha served at table.

Mary took a pound of costly perfume and anointed the feet of Jesus.

cf. John 12:1-3

The Raising of Lazarus, c. 1517–1519, Sebastiano del Piombo
It is obvious who Lazarus is here, but I think maybe we see Mary and Martha
between him and Jesus, one kneeling, one standing.

There is a new liturgy written for this but it hasn't been translated into English yet. Here is the decree with which this memorial was created. It says it all quite well, of course!

DECREE
on the Celebration of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus
in the General Roman Calendar

In the household of Bethany the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and for this reason the Gospel of John states that he loved them. Martha generously offered him hospitality, Mary listened attentively to his words and Lazarus promptly emerged from the tomb at the command of the One who humiliated death.

The traditional uncertainty of the Latin Church about the identity of Mary - the Magdalene to whom Christ appeared after his resurrection, the sister of Martha, the sinner whose sins the Lord had forgiven - which resulted in the inclusion of Martha - alone on 29 July in the Roman Calendar, has been resolved in recent studies and times, as attested by the current Roman Martyrology, which also commemorates Mary and Lazarus on that day. Moreover, in some particular calendars the three siblings are already celebrated together.

Therefore, the Supreme Pontiff Pope FRANCIS, considering the important evangelical witness they offered in welcoming the Lord Jesus into their home, in listening to him attentively, in believing that he is the resurrection and the life, and accepting the proposal of this Dicastery, has decreed that 29 July be designated in the General Roman Calendar as the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus.

The Memorial must therefore appear under this title in all Calendars and Liturgical Books for the celebration of Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours; the variations and additions to be adopted in the liturgical texts, attached to the present decree, must be translated, approved and, after confirmation by this Dicastery, published by the Episcopal Conferences.

Anything to the contrary notwithstanding.

From the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 26 January 2021, Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops.

Robert Card. Sarah
Prefect

It never occurred to me to wonder why the whole family wasn't included with Saint Martha but the points about the uncertainty about Mary's identity having to be cleared up first are fascinating.

I have meditated upon my dear patron Martha's personal journey as shown through the gospels and you may read that here.

Please Allow Me to Bend Your Ear About St. Martha, My Patron

Christ in the House of Mary and Martha, Jan Vermeer

I wrote this some time ago when Saint Martha's feast day didn't include the whole family.  I still have not written anything I like better about her than this piece. Since she is my patron saint, I present this in loving tribute to my journey with her intercession and support.

It is no secret that Martha is my patron saint. I chose her because she is the patron saint of housewives but it soon became clear that it probably was God who chose to put us together. I relate to Martha in so many ways and her life stands as a measure of the person I work toward becoming ... a faithful servant who loves Jesus and is his good friend.

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me."

The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

Luke 10:38-42

This is the story about Martha that springs to mind for most people and this is the first time (chronologically) that we hear her mentioned. We have all heard variations of the basic message about this passage of keeping your mind on Jesus no matter what else you may be doing and to listen before acting. I also recently heard Bishop Barron speak about N.T. Wright's comment that only men would normally act as Mary is doing, so Martha is also asking for a return to cultural norms. Which is a fascinating point also.

However, we also see the confidence Martha shows when approaching Jesus with her complaint. What good friends they were for her to feel so comfortable coming to him like that. Jesus' affection is clear as he answers her much more gently than he often does his disciples.

For us, it also is a lesson in the fact that there is nothing too small to go to Jesus about. He will always help us with anything, even if it is something like helping give the right perspective.

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.

So the sisters sent word to him, saying, "Master, the one you love is ill."

When Jesus heard this he said, "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus...

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. (But) even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you."

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise."

Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day."

Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, "The teacher is here and is asking for you."

John 11:1-5, 20-28

Again, a familiar story featuring Martha though more often it is told from the point of view of the miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead. First of all, we may wonder how Martha knew that Jesus had arrived when Mary didn't. What it may make us think of is someone who is attuned to all the little details even in the middle of her grief. Perhaps there was a flutter of unusual activity that clued her in, so she went to investigate.

When we examine Martha's conversation with Jesus, we see again how familiar and friendly she is with him. She doesn't hesitate to say that she is disappointed that he didn't save her brother. How can one not love the confidence and trust that shows?

Martha also shows her great faith and understanding in unmistakable terms: I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world. What an amazing moment that must have been between Jesus and Martha. Yet, after such a moment, she also doesn't forget her sister, Mary, who is still at home mourning. Martha is both loving and practical to the bone.

We have an unmistakable example of that practicality when Jesus is getting ready to raise Lazarus from the dead and we are told: Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him, "Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days" (John 11:39). Martha's unwavering, housewifely, detail-oriented common sense is used to emphasize the greatness of Jesus' miracle. The corpse is well into decay and yet he will still be brought back to life. How like God to use the mundane and practical moment to catch our attention and bring it to an even greater realization of His glory and love for us.

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.

Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus 2 and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

John 12:1-3

Through watching Martha's progression in the previous Scripture, this very simple mention speaks to the difference between the first time we saw her and now.

Martha served.

That is all that needs to be said. Nothing about needing help is brought up now or comparing another's service to her own. Mary serves Jesus in her way while Martha serves Jesus in hers. Together they complement each other as both have chosen the better part. A beautiful end to a beautiful journey of faith.

I pray that my own journey may prove as fruitful as my dear St. Martha's.

We are fated into the logic of the universe

The number that governs the whole is seven; in the scheme of seven days it permeates the whole in a way that cannot be overlooked. This is the number of a phase of the moon, and thus we are told throughout this account that the rhythm of our heavenly neighbor also sounds the rhythm of our human life. It becomes clear that we human beings are not bounded by the limits of our own little “I” but that we are part of the rhythm of the universe, that we too, so to speak, assimilate the heavenly rhythm and movement in our own bodies and thus, thanks to this interlinking, are fated into the logic of the universe. In the Bible this thought goes still further. It lets us know that the rhythm of the heavenly bodies is, more profoundly, a way of expressing the rhythm of the heart and the rhythm of God’s love, which manifests itself in there.

Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI),

In the Beginning…: A Catholic Understanding

of the Story of Creation and the Fall

This continues the paragraph from yesterday, looking at how creation is a part of our very being. I love this so much.

Saints Joachim and Anne

I love the point that is made by our focus on this married couple, these parents and grandparents. 

Here we celebrate Mary's parents, Jesus' grandparents — Joachim and Anne.

I am including the summary from Catholic Online because it was the best (and most succinct) I found. Also — I absolutely love the point made about the way they raised Mary that helped to form her faith and trust to become the Mother of God. It is a good way to recall that we can't foresee the ripples our own actions cause in our marriages and families.

Emphasis added is mine.

By tradition Joachim and Anne are considered to be the names of the parents of Mary, the Mother of God. We have no historical evidence, however, of any elements of their lives, including their names. Any stories about Mary's father and mother come to us through legend and tradition.

We get the oldest story from a document called the Gospel of James, though in no way should this document be trusted to be factual, historical, or the Word of God. The legend told in this document says that after years of childlessness, an angel appeared to tell Anne and Joachim that they would have a child. Anne promised to dedicate this child to God (much the way that Samuel was dedicated by his mother Hannah -- Anne -- in 1 Kings).

For those who wonder what we can learn from people we know nothing about and how we can honor them, we must focus on why they are honored by the church. Whatever their names or the facts of their lives, the truth is that it was the parents of Mary who nurtured Mary, taught her, brought her up to be a worthy Mother of God. It was their teaching that led her to respond to God's request with faith, "Let it be done to me as you will." It was their example of parenting that Mary must have followed as she brought up her own son, Jesus. It was their faith that laid the foundation of courage and strength that allowed her to stand by the cross as her son was crucified and still believe.

X

"X" by Karin Jurick

I fell in love with John Singer Sargent's paintings when seeing them at the Chicago Art Institute. Clearly I am not alone. For more of Karin Jurick's art, which I know many readers of this blog enjoy, click through the link above.

The Ten Commandments are an Echo of Creation

The words "God said" appear ten times in the creation account. In this way the creation narrative anticipates the Ten Commandments. This makes us realize that these Ten Commandments are, as it were, an echo of the creation; they are not arbitrary inventions for the purpose of erecting barriers to human freedom but signs pointing to the spirit, the language, and the meaning of creation; they are a translation of the language of the universe, a translation of God's logic, which constructed the universe.

Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI),
In the Beginning…: A Catholic Understanding
of the Story of Creation and the Fall

This book is simply wonderful. It's a series of Lenten homilies that Ratzinger delivered. I'd have loved to have been in the audience to receive such wisdom. I can't recommend this book highly enough. We'll see the second half of this paragraph tomorrow, continuing the idea of how deeply embedded we are in creation and creation is in us.

A Street in Venice

A Street in Venice, John Singer Sargent, 1882

When I think of Sargent the first thing that springs to mind are his wonderful portraits. Of course, he did much more. He's a master of atmosphere.

Lagniappe: Many Shades of Green

Her eyes were green, although Stallings couldn't decide whether they were sea green or emerald green. But since she looked expensive, he finally settled on dollar green.

Ross Thomas, Out on the Rim

Ross Thomas's books have some of the twistiest plots you've ever encountered. He keeps you hooked until the end. He often works in a kind of code that is funny while conveying information. I love his Artie Wu and Quincy Durant books, of which this is the first I ever read.

Psalm 47 — God is Exalted

Psalm 47 announces the Savior's ascension in to heaven ... and the calling of the gentiles.

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

This is a happy one unlike a lot of the others we have read so far. It is a hymn of victory where the Church Fathers see Christ welcomed by the nations with a joyful reception.  There is shouting and clapping, singing and celebration.

Wikipedia tells us that "In Christian scholarship, Psalm 47 is one of seven 'enthronement psalms' which refer to the crowning of God as king at a festive occasion.' It has also been suggested that the theme of Psalm 47 is 'universal rejoicing for God's universal reign'."

From the Utrecht Psalter, singing praises to God with lyres or citharas.

I especially like what Caesarius of Arles says, about how to apply praise of God in our own lives to keep the devil away. It's not a bad reminder that, as Peter tells us "Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour."

47:7 The Fairest of Humankind

Sing to Frustrate Satan. Caesarius of Arles: Let us, too, lift up our voices by singing or praying in church, so that our adversary, the devil may depart in confusion at the holy sound. If notin deed, then surely in thought or word the devil usually creeps up to those who are silent or speak of idle, useless matters. When they are singing or praying he can in no way take advantage by his cunning of those whom he sees engaged mentally or vocally in God's praises.

Sermon 80.2 

Psalms 1-50 (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture)

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An index of psalm posts is here.

Madame X

"John Singer Sargent: Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) (16.53)".
In Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/10/na/ho_16.53.htm (October 2006)

You can see why this is so famous.

John Singer Sargent's Theodore Roosevelt

John Singer Sargent, Theodore Roosevelt, 1903

I really love the story that goes with this. It completes the painting for me.

The famous expatriate artist arrived in America in January 1903 and soon received a letter from Roosevelt inviting him to live in the White House during the month of February to work on the portrait....

Together [Sargent and Roosevelt] toured the White House while Sargent looked for proper light and a good pose.... As Roosevelt led the way upstairs, so the story goes, he said, "The trouble with you Sargent, is that you don't know what you want." "No," replied the artist, "the trouble, Mr. President, is that you don't know what a pose means." Roosevelt turned sharply back, grasped the newel-post and snapped, "Don't I!" "Don't move an inch. You've got it now," responded Sargent.

Notes from Kloss, William, et al.
Art in the White House: A Nation's Pride.

Lagniappe: Mixed Signals

We approached the porch. A cockeyed "Welcome" sign hung from the center of the dirty, white door. The sign was hand-painted in blue and silver pain and had a star at the bottom, indicating the previous owners had been Dallas Cowboys fans. The doormat had a picture of a pistol and said, "We don't dial 911."

"I'm getting mixed signals," said Donut.

Matt Dinniman, The Gate of the Feral Gods

Matt Dinniman's books are fun, but fluff. Part of that fun is the sort of thing you just read. They make perfect vacation reading.

Lake in a Park

Lake in a Park, Władysław Podkowiński,
via J.R.'s Art Place

I'd love to be able to wander to this park and spend the afternoon with a book.

The action of God in history and time

The lesson repeated over and over again in the books of the Bible — unlike the one suggested by Greco-Roman paganism — is that man, in the events of history, is not the plaything of a blind fate but in the hands of a Power, a Principle, a personal God on whom all depends and who wishes to lead him to his true goal.

This is what gives the Bible its very special meaning and what was already known by its inspired authors, who, in all they wrote, had but one purpose: to bring home to men the action of God in the world and in the dimension of time. To reproach them with lack of the famous modern "objectivity" is pointless. For them, history is written at God's dictation as part of His designs: the moral writings seek to elevate man to the likeness of God; poetry in its various forms exalts the glory of the Most High and furnishes believers iwth the means of associating themselves with His work through prayer; and the midrashim bring home the infallibility of His actions.

What give the historical study of the Bible its whole import and puts the Bible as a history book in a class by itself is that this slice of events cut out of time and space reveals the divine action; in fact, it is the divine action, directed toward revelation. An indissoluble union of human realities — some of them a painful, even a lamentable sight — and transcendent and divine realities; that is the very substance of the Bible; that is what constitutes its greatness, but also its difficulty.

Henri Daniel-Rops, What is the Bible?

The most remarkable record a people ever left

So the Bible is in the first place a history. It is the record of a people, in fact the most remarkable record a people has ever left, for future generations, of all it did, suffered, believed, thought, and hoped. It is the record of a family, Abraham's, kept for about two thousand years, the record of a family that from the Patriarch to Jesus can be followed in its human destiny as well as in its providential mission. That is what gives unity to the Bible and all its heterogeneous parts.

Henri Daniel-Rops, What is the Bible?

I love this little known French author. He wrote a multi-volume series of the history of the Church up to his own time. He wrote many great books including St. Vincent de Paul,  Daily Life in the Time of Jesus, Jesus and  His Times, and he wrote this book about the Bible which is a favorite of mine.

Psyche

Psyche, William Sergeant Kendall

This kind of painting has such wonderful textures to everything — you can almost feel it with your fingertips.

Abbey Bible Illuminated Manuscript

Abbey Bible, 1250 to 1262
via Getty's Open Content Program

I really love illuminated manuscripts. Hey, we all love a Bible with pictures, right? They enhance the whole thing.

You can find more information about this at the Getty link. Here's a bit:

The illumination and marginal vignettes of the Abbey Bible are remarkable for their liveliness and delicacy. Sensitively depicted facial expressions, rare among Bibles of this era, and dynamic compositions, reveal the artist to be a skilled storyteller.

While filled with amusing figures and spirited pen flourishes, the Bible was nevertheless intended for serious use and study. The text contains many edits, corrections, and amendments, suggesting a university origin for the manuscript. The book appears to be made for a Dominican monastery and devout Dominicans and Franciscans appear prominently in its imagery.

Every moment is played against a supernatural backdrop — nothing can be humdrum

You and I are faced with one of those situations (which fortunately are not very numerous in one lifetime) which cannot possibly be adequately judged beforehand. It strikes me as a colossal gamble, or rather, a very great adventure. And personally I am considerably exhilarated by the risks! ... The greatness of the adventure perhaps consists partly in the fact that as a Catholic I can marry only once! But, as with being born, perhaps once is quite sufficient! In the Church, you know, there is a great heightening of every moment of experience, since every moment is played against a supernatural backdrop. Nothing can be humdrum in this scheme.

Marshall McLuhan in a letter to his fiancee,

The Medium and the Light: Reflections on Religion

I love his feeling of excitement at taking the ultimate risk of marriage! He's right!

Notes on Mark: Degrees of Relationship

Nazareth as depicted on a Byzantine mosaic

MARK 6:1-3
Here is one of the things that separates the Protestants from the Catholics. "Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judah and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?"

This commentary explains the reason Catholics read this passage and still say that Mary was always a virgin. I am not putting this commentary up to start any arguing as I think it highly unlikely that anything I write will change someone's mind on this subject. It is just an FYI sort of thing for anyone who is curious as I was about how they described it.

St. Mark mentions by name a number of brothers of Jesus, and refers in general to his sisters. But the word "brother" does not necessarily mean son of the same parents. It can also indicate other degrees of relationship -- cousins, nephews, etc. Thus in Genesis 13:8 and 14:14 and 16 Lot is called the brother of Abraham (translated as "kinsman" in RSV), whereas we know that he was Abraham's nephew, the son of Abraham's brother, Haran. The same is true of Laban, who is called the brother of Jacob (Genesis 29:15) although he was his mother's brother (Gen 29:15); there are other instances: cf. 1 Chronicles 23:21-22, etc. This confusion is due to the poverty of Hebrew and Aramaic language: in the absence of distinct terms, the same word, brother, is used to designate different degrees of relationship.

From other Gospel passages we know that James and Joses, who are mentioned here, were sons of Mary of Clophas (Jn 19:25). We know less about Judas and Simon: it seems that they are the apostles Simon the Cananaean (Mt 10:4) and Judas the son of James (Lk 6:16), the author of the Catholic Epistle, in which he describes himself as "brother" of James. In any event, it is nowhere said they were "sons of Mary" -- which would have been the natural thing if they had been our Lord's brothers in the strict sense. Jesus always appears as an only son: to the people of Nazareth, he is "the son of Mary" (Mt 13:55). When he was dying Jesus entrusted his mother to St. John (cf. Jn 19:26-27), which shows that Mary had no other children.

The Navarre Bible: St. Mark

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Sources and Notes Index