Saint Mary of Egypt

On this day in 137 A.M. (421 AD.), Saint Mary of Egypt, the hermit who lived for seventysix years, departed. She was born in the city of Alexandria, in about 61 A.M. (345 A.D.), of Christian parents. When she was twelve years of age, Satan led her astray and made her his net, through which he caught innumerable souls. She continued in this sinful conduct for seventeen years, until the mercy of God touched her life. She met people going to Jerusalem and went with them. Since she did not have enough to pay for the trip, she gave herself to the owners of the ship in return, until she came to Jerusalem, where she also went on, doing the same there. Mary wished to enter through the door of the church of the Resurrection, but she felt a hidden power pulling her back, preventing her from entering. Whenever she tried to enter, she felt as though someone prevented her from doing so, and right away, she realized that it was because of her sinfulness. With a broken heart, she lifted up her eyes and wept, praying to Saint Mary, and asking her to intercede on her behalf before her Beloved Son. She felt encouraged and wished to enter with those entering, and nothing prevented her from entering this time. She prayed therein to God, asking Him to guide her as pleased Him. She stood before the icon of the blessed and pure Virgin Saint Mary and asked her fervently to guide her that her soul might be saved. A voice came from the icon saying, “If you cross the Jordan River, you will find rest and salvation.” She rose in haste and left the courtyard of the church. On her way, she met a man who gave her three small coins with which she bought bread: She then crossed the Jordan River to the wilderness, where she lived for forty-seven years, eating the herbs of the desert. Saint Mary of Egypt strove strenuously for seventeen years. Satan fought against her but, with the grace of God, she overcame him. In the forty-fifth year of her life in the desert, Saint Zossima went to the wilderness for devotion and asceticism during the holy Lent, according to the custom of the monks there. While he was walking in the desert, he saw this Saint from a distance and thought that she was a shadow or a mirage. He prayed to God to reveal to him the fact about this mirage and he was inspired that it was a human being. He went toward the shadow, but it fled from him. When Saint Mary saw that he insisted on following her, she called him from behind a hill saying, “Zossima, if you wish to talk to me, throw me a rag that I may cover myself, for I am naked.” Saint Zossima marveled, for she called him by his name, so he threw to her what she covered herself with, and she came to him. After the greetings and the prostrations, she asked him to pray for her because he was a priest, after which he asked her to tell him the story of her life from the beginning. After she told him, she asked him to bring the Holy Eucharist in the following year so that she may partake of it. On the following visit, he came to her and she partook of the Holy Sacraments. He then gave her what he had of dates and lentils, but she only took a handful of lentils and asked him to come to her in the following year. When Saint Zossima came to Saint Mary in the next year, he found that she had departed. A lion stood beside her, and a written message on the ground which read, “Bury Mary, the poor woman in the dust of which she was created.” He marveled at the writing and the lion that was protecting her body, and while he was thinking of how he was going to dig to bury her, the lion came and dug a grave for her. He prayed over her and buried her. When he returned to his monastery, Saint Zossima told the monks the story of the struggle of this holy woman, and they all increased in steadfastness in the divine mercy, and progressed in spiritual life. May her prayers be with us, Amen.