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(Luke 10:38-42)
Many African-American women attending a theological seminary must make the difficult decision of whether or not to quit their jobs in order to avoid the stress of balancing school, work, and family. It is nearly impossible to fulfill all three roles in a qualitative manner without jeopardizing one's health. If we keep our jobs and do them well, we risk burnout, alienation from or neglect of family and friends, or all of these. If we leave our jobs, we risk starvation and the stress of unpaid bills or even eviction. I decided halfway through my first semester in seminary to leave my fairly lucrative job, and I escaped eviction by the skin of my teeth. Therefore, it was very painful when one of my sisters accused me of making excellent grades because I was not working-as if to suggest that long hours, discipline, and hard work had nothing to do with my achievements. Whether she meant to hurt me or not, the fact remains that her comment was pernicious. It takes little imagination for persons who know me well to fancy my voice rising an octave as I responded to my sister in disgust. (I am ashamed of the way I responded and did later apologize, as did she.) Nevertheless, sisters must stop searching for reasons to undermine, downplay, and ignore another sister's accomplishments, goals, dreams, and calls. Instead, we must actively empower each other.
We can learn something about empowerment from the story of Mary and Martha, a tale of two sisters (Luke 10:38-42). This story is shelved between the account of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and of Jesus' instruction on prayer (Luke 11:1-13). In the story of the Good Samaritan, a Samaritan stopped to rescue a wounded, deserted, and anonymous man. The original Jewish audience considered Samaritans to be repulsive and of no account. Yet, the Samaritan, not the priest nor the Levite, bandaged the man's wounds, transported him to safety, and paid for his room and board. In the episode in which Jesus instructs his disciples about prayer, he teaches them that by merely asking they can be receptacles of the Holy Spirit's power. Thus, our tale of two sisters is placed in the midst of two pedagogical...