a word about my sponsor...

He Qi

In the wretched and laborious life, brethren, Martha must of necessity be in our house; that is to say, our soul has to be concerned with bodily actions. As long as we need to eat and drink, we shall need to tame our flesh with watching, fasting, and work. This is Martha's role. But in our souls there should also be Mary, that is, spiritual activity. For we should not always give ourselves to bodily efforts, but sometimes be still and see how lovely, how sweet the Lord is....you should in no wise neglect Mary for Martha; or again, Martha for Mary. For, if you neglect Martha, who would feed Jesus? If we neglect Mary, what use is it for Jesus to come to your house, when you taste nothing of His sweetness?

St. Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-11167)
from The Holy Way, Paula Huston