An example of repentance: Sunday, 29 March – St Mary of Egypt
This is reported by the Religious Information Service of Ukraine
The life story of Mary of Egypt is striking in its radicalism. Having spent her youth in debauchery, she underwent a spiritual rebirth in Jerusalem when an invisible force prevented her from entering the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Realising her sinfulness, Mary made a vow before an icon of the Mother of God and went into seclusion beyond the Jordan. There, in the harsh desert, she spent 47 years in prayer, solitude and struggle against temptation, attaining incredible spiritual gifts.
The figure of the venerable nun appears in the liturgical calendar several times, notably during ‘Mary’s Standing’, when the Great Penitential Canon of Andrew of Crete is read. Traditionally, she is depicted in icons as emaciated by fasting, with grey hair and skin darkened by the desert sun. One often sees scenes of her meeting with the elder Zosima, who witnessed her holiness and administered Holy Communion to the venerable one before her death.
Today’s service emphasises the Christ-centred nature of Mary’s feat. As on the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross, the Church calls on the faithful not to lose heart at the end of Lent. The saint’s example proves that the power of the Cross is capable of transforming a former harlot into a victor over the devil. This is a day of hope, which testifies that sincere repentance opens the door of mercy to every soul, regardless of the burden of the past.
