Marta Becket and the Three Temptations of Christ

April 12, 2011 by Heather King

Continued from Page 1

The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.

I'm not sure what else you'd call it but serving something higher than yourself - but love—to put on your makeup and slippers and tutu and, decade after decade, go out under the lights and dance. To believe with your whole heart in the magic of theater, story, song; to lay down your life in the effort to bring that magic to others.

"Society laughs at old people's dreams. They even laugh at dreams . . . until they come true."

"I must keep going, alone . . . I'm determined to keep going as long as I can."

"I'm still dancing and I'm going to keep moving until I drop."

Death Valley is an easy place to picture Golgotha. The cross on a hill. That day when we will all be called to give an account of what we did with our gifts. The desert that terrifies and compels, the desert in which we are tormented and glorified, the desert in which we are crucified and if we stay the course, resurrected.

Or as Marta Becket—nearing her last season—puts it: "I listen for Wilget in the wind, even though I never liked the wind."

Page: 2 of 2

4/12/2011 4:00:00 AM

Catholic

A Book of Sparks

Dance

Death Valley

Lent

Marta Becket

Theater

Temptation

Christianity

Roman Catholicism

more at patheos

Each having fought himself out of his own coat

Fred Clark

Magnifica Humanitas: Pope Leo Says Just War Is Obsolete

Rebecca Hamilton

How Faith and Religion Shaped America's First 250 Years

Lisa Gable

Easy, Right? A Dharma Talk

James Ford

About Heather King

Heather King is an ex-lawyer, ex-drunk Catholic convert with three memoirs: Parched (the dark years); Redeemed (crawling toward the light); and Shirt of Flame (forthcoming - her year of wandering around Koreatown, L.A. "with" St. Thérèse of Lisieux). You can find Heather on Facebook. She blogs at shirtofflame.blogspot.com.

Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos