CMP Review 2024-09-15

The Rev. Francis Lewis was a friend of Charlotte Mason in life and in death. He was said to be “a devoted friend and worker … in everything where Miss Mason’s ideals were concerned,” and in 1923 he assisted at her burial service. I have been reading some of Lewis’s sermons lately, and I have been struck by the harmony of his voice with the voice of Charlotte Mason.

In a 1929 sermon, he spoke about one of my favorite chapters in the Bible: John 11. He reflected on the profound encounter of Martha and Mary with Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus, in light of their earlier encounter with Him in Luke 10. Lewis observes:

It was to Martha that Jesus said ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life’: the Martha who was cumbered with much serving: the Martha who was careful and troubled about many things, lest the careful housewife might fail in ministering to the comfort and honour of her Guest. Mary had been content to sit at His feet drinking in His words: to choose the good part that should not be taken from her. The silence of Jesus was enough for her. She could feel His unspoken sympathy. There was no need for her to speak either.

I believe Charlotte Mason saw in Mary of Bethany a pattern of faith and devotion. It is evident in her poem “The Good Part,” which you can read or listen to here. And it is evident that Miss Mason chose the good part too.

@artmiddlekauff