Mary of Nazareth was a young brown skinned peasant girl. She was a hard worker with strong callused hands. Mary was an artisan, a homemaker. She made the clothing she wore from homespun wool or linen, heavy wool for the winter, light wool, linen, for the summer. She wove the clothing herself, sowed it and mended it for other members of the family too. She prepared food for daily meals. Bread was an important food, eaten daily. She harvested the wheat, cleaned it, threshed it and winnowed it, ground it into flour, and baked the flour into cakes. She gathered and preserved other foods such as dates, figs, grapes, and olives. She gathered for fresh eating, or to dry and store, foods such as beans, cucumbers, lentils, melons, and onions. Mary took care of the animals; milking the goats and making cheese, rounding up the chickens and their eggs, tending the sheep and preparing mutton for a meal. She washed the family’s clothes in an open-air water source. Mary did her work of creating a home with other women in her extended family. They held her close. They loved her, guided her, taught her. As did the men of the house. Depending upon the work of the men of the house, Mary and the women of the house would have worked alongside them as farmers in the fields or shepherds in the pasture or as artisans in such activities as leatherworks. The men may also have worked away from the home as fishermen or itinerant laborers. Mary was a care giver to other members of her family, especially those who were sick or elderly. Mary lived in an extended family, with perhaps a dozen people sharing one house together. The house had a stone foundation and was made of mud brick. Simple rooms with raised areas for bedding were built around an inner courtyard where some of Mary’s labor was done. The courtyard was also where Mary sat and listened to the elders, men and women, tell their stories. Mary was a storyteller, capable of witty sayings and clever talk. Mary was a truthteller, intent on a clear voice and honest speech.
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, help me create a home in this world.
Question: How would people describe me within my extended family?
December 03, 2023 Mark 13:33-37 First Sunday of Advent