St John Cassian wrote: ‘To cling always to God and to the things of God—this must be our major effort, this must be the road that the heart follows unswervingly. Any diversion, however impressive, must be regarded as secondary, low grade and certainly dangerous. Martha and Mary provide a most beautiful scriptural paradigm of this outlook and of this mode of activity. In looking after the Lord and his disciples, Martha did a very holy service. Mary, however, was intent on the spiritual teaching of Jesus, and she stayed by his feet, which she kissed and anointed with the oil of her good faith….’

We are called, many of us, to combine the two ways of Martha and Mary, in our ordinary lives. Lazarus remains as a kind of paradigm of the risen life promised to all of us. As we reach forward to eternal life, let us pray to draw closer to the Lord along the twin paths of action and contemplation; and may God bless you this day in so doing.