Rummaging through some family record files, yesterday, I chanced upon this card from my grandfather.
"But One Thing is Needful", said Jesus to Martha.
I always loved that, because I was raised to read and memorize vocabulary, and I have never taken very much to manual work, except lately to knitting. I have never felt totally right unless I was reading or discussing, preferably Luther, who is always talking about Jesus.
Plato and Socrates also thought it was important to pay attention to the word, to teaching, thinking, talking, sorting things out, matters of justice and kindness. But I am not sure they would have said it to a woman.
And here we have the living Word, Jesus Himself. He was more than once caught talking to women about religion, morality, and salvation. There were even the Samaritan ones. There were the prostitutes. How could he speak with them? And he spoke with them about matters that were important to them. Husbands, housework, hosting, living water, learning, focusing on important matters, hope in God.
I wonder about Greek women. Roman women--for sure had no say--the Pater Familias had power over life and death.
Socrates joked about his wife Xanthippe: "Which woman do you speak less to than your own wife." No doubt, she had many reasons to complain with a philosopher for a husband.
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