Introduction
Flemish monk Goscelin spent much of his life in England just after the Conquest of 1066, researching the lives of Anglo-Saxon saints. One of his favourites was St Edith of Wilton (?961-984), a daughter of King Edgar. He often felt her presence on his visits to the Abbey where she had lived a century before.
AMONG her sister-nuns she played a Martha; to Christ she played a Mary; to everyone she proved herself most obliging in the services that devolved upon her.* All guests she enfolded in Christ’s very bosom; she was as conscientious about fast-days as if she were taking part in a feast-day; she joined in feast-days without losing her desire for simple living. Caring nothing for the world’s tastes, she busied herself with philanthropic assistance to the destitute and sickly, and thought more of lepers than grace-and-favour palaces.* Indeed the more someone seemed deformed by disease, the more ready of soul she was with fellow-feeling towards him, the more humane and prompt to serve. Rightly could she be said to be the blind man’s eyes, the lame man’s prop, the poor man’s food and clothing, and the comfort of all the desolate.
Freely translated from the Latin
Based on Luke 10:38-42 and John 12:1-8, Martha represents hospitality and household duty, wheres Mary represents personal prayer and listening to the Gospel. Time spent ministering to the poor and sick of Wilton was a little of each: as Jesus says in Matthew 25:40, ‘Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’
Edith was a daughter of King Edgar (r. 959-975). For another princess who turned her back on pavilions and palaces to become a nun and dedicate herself to the service of the poor, see St Elizabeth the New Martyr.
Archive
Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Everyone. Feel. Prop.
2 Disease. Guest. Philanthropic.
3 Favor. Humane. Simple.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Homophones Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Verb and Noun Find in Think and Speak
Many words can serve as noun or verb depending on context: see if you can prove this with the examples below. Nouns go well with words such as the/a, or his/her; verbs go well after I/you/he etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Man. 2 Play. 3 Serve. 4 Comfort. 5 Prompt. 6 Taste. 7 Service. 8 Eye. 9 Care.
Variations: 1.if possible, use your noun in the plural, e.g. cat → cats. 2.use your verb in a past form, e.g. go → went. 3.use your noun in a sentence with one of these words: any, enough, fewer, less, no, some.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
wk (6+1)
awake. awoke. wake. weak. week. woke.
wok.
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