Martha or Mary
'Martha or Mary' by Jennifer Kavanagh
The spiritual life consists of a series of balances: of inner experience and outward witness; the life within and the outside world; being passive to God and active to the world; between withdrawal and engagement, being and doing.
In Christianity, the story of Martha and Mary is familiar: the one called to the way of action; the other to contemplation. Many Friends seem to harbour a sense of guilt. If engaged in the world, they worry about not being very ‘spiritual’; if leading an interior, prayerful life, they are concerned that they are not ‘doing their bit’
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