Monday
Breakfast at the hostellerie restaurant and then drive to Marseille where we will have a panoramic view of the city and the port from Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde. Visit Abbaye de Saint-Victor where St. Lazarus preached and heard confessions and stop at Four des Navettes—for 200 years they have been making the specialty “Navette,” a hard biscuit in the shape of a boat, flavoured with orange blossom. We’ll have lunch at Au Vieux Clocher in Le Panier (the old city) and then walk to Place de Lenche, where Lazarus was imprisoned and beheaded, and then to Trieze Cantons where Mary Magdalene first preached in Marseille. We’ll visit Cathédrale Sainte-Marie-Majeure to see Lazarus’ skull. We will visit Savonnerie Marseillaise de la Licorne and see how they make the famous “Marseille soap” with olive oil. We’ll have a light dinner and then attend the 6:30 pm Mass at Église Saint-Vincent-de-Paul – hopefully celebrated by Fr. Michel-Marie Zanotti-Sorkine, and then drive back to the hostellerie after Mass.
BASILIQUE NOTRE-DAME-DE-LA-GARDE
LAZARUS’ CONFESSIONAL — ABBAYE SAINT-VICTOR
CATHÉDRALE SAINTE-MARIE-MAJEURE
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Novena to Saint Mary Magdalene—Day 3
Opening Prayer—Saint Mary Magdalene, you who were pardoned by Jesus, you who greatly loved; show us the way to true conversion and purity of heart. With love you followed Jesus to serve him; teach us to freely offer our lives for our brothers and sisters. You stood at the cross of Jesus with Mary and John. Obtain the grace of faith and hope in our sufferings. On Easter morning, you received from Jesus the mission of announcing the resurrection to His disciples. Help me to believe that life is stronger than death, that love triumphs over all. Dearest Saint Mary Magdalene, please intercede on behalf of my special intention (recite your special intention here). Through your intercession, I trust in the Lord, AMEN.
Gospel of Luke 10:38-42—At the Home of Martha and Mary
38 Now it came to pass as they went, that he entered into a certain town: and a certain woman named Martha, received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sitting also at the Lord’s feet, heard his word. 40 But Martha was busy about much serving. Who stood and said: Lord, hast thou no care that my sister hath left me alone to serve? speak to her therefore, that she help me. 41 And the Lord answering, said to her: Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and art troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her.
MARY AND MARTHA
Novena Prayer Day 3—We often stereotype the two sisters: Martha, the active life; Mary, the contemplative life. It is difficult therefore, not to conclude that the contemplative life is superior to the active life. It seems rather that Christ’s teaching is about the difference between ‘many things’ and ‘one thing.’ Martha is agitated, tense, and held captive by the many things – because of this she is divided, fragmented, and spread thin. Mary chose the ‘one necessity’: she is entirely at the feet of Christ, listening to the Word, returning to union with God. Martha is anxious, Mary is filled with the joyful blessing of ‘those who hear the Word of God and put it into practice.’ Being emptied of her demons is not enough: Mary must again be filled with the grace of God. Otherwise, the impure spirits will return to dwell there, they will find the empty place and there will be seven other spirits more evil than the first; they will enter and live there, and the new condition of the person will become worse than the first. This is such a magnificent reflection on the choices made by the two sisters. People think, “I don’t need to go to confession, I haven‘t killed anyone”; as though this places them in right relationship with God. To say we have not chosen and committed serious sin does not mean we have in fact chosen God. Mary was freed of her demons. She must now choose to be united with the Lord. It is not action vs. contemplation. Rather it is the beatitude, ‘Blessed are the single-hearted, they shall see God.’ There is only one choice and that is to keep one’s attention on union with God. When we can accomplish this then maybe it does not matter if we are a busy priest or parent, entrepreneur in the world, or cloistered in a convent. Being in union with God, at the feet of Jesus our Lord, hearing his teaching, convinced of his mercy, and trusting in the power of his resurrection – this allows us to put into perspective all the business that can leave us anxious and divided in spirit. This is what forms and shapes us as disciples. This is what transforms our daily work into life-giving union with God.
Closing Prayer—God, eternal and all-powerful, you gave us in Saint Mary Magdalene an example of a profound hearer and perfect acceptance of your word. Grant us, through her prayer, that we ourselves may become true disciples of your Son, Jesus Christ. He who reigns for ever and ever, AMEN.
