This Sunday is the 5th Sunday of Lent, we celebrate Saint Mary of Egypt. While we celebrate her name day on the 1st of April, we also celebrate her every 5th Sunday in Great Lent. Saint Mary of Egypt is a Saint that we should know about and relate to.
Last week when we were talking about ways that we can take steps to become closer to God, we also spoke about when we take the wrong steps, or steps that bring us away from God, those are called sins or mistakes. (To see last weeks post on St. John of the Ladder, click here!)
Did you know everyone makes mistakes? Did you know that even Saints make mistakes?
Did you know that Saint Mary of Egypt lived a very sinful life, meaning she made a lot of bad mistakes, and a miracle happened that made her turn her life around?
Let us read the story of St. Mary of Egypt.
This story is especially for children and is shared from Presvytera Fredrica Mathews-Green, written by Fr. Thomas Moore and A. Prince.
About 500 years after the Resurrection of our Lord, a holy monk by the name of Zosimas lived in a monastery by the Jordan River. He had lived as a monk since childhood and when he was about fifty years old he began to think that he had surpassed all the other monks in virtue and that no one could teach him anything he did not already know. To prevent such a prideful thought from taking root, God taught him a lesson.
It was the custom in the monastery that at the beginning of each Great Lent, after Liturgy on Forgiveness Sunday, the monks would cross the Jordan River and scatter throughout the desert where they would stay until Palm Sunday. Each monk would spend this time alone before God, in fasting and prayer, without anyone around to praise him for his struggles.
Fr. Zosimas went far into the desert. On the 20th day, as he stopped for prayer, he saw a human shape. At first he thought the devil was playing tricks with his eyes. But when he protected himself with the sign of the Cross, he saw it clearly: thin and naked, skin baked dark and hair bleached white by the sun, it seemed to glide over the sandy hill. Overjoyed at the thought of seeing a holy man, Zosimas hurried to follow and shouted: “Servant of the True God, do not run from me, an old sinner!” “Forgive me,” a voice returned, “but I cannot face you, Father Zosimas, for I am a shameful, naked woman. Please throw me your cloak so that I may cover myself and ask your blessing.” Terror seized the monk as she called him by name; how did she know it? Turning aside, he threw his ragged cloak her way.
In deep humility both saints fell prostrate before one another in the sand, asking each other’s blessing. Finally the woman said, “Father Zosimas, you must give the blessing, having been in the Holy Altar so many years as a priest.” Struck with awe by her divine gift of knowledge, Zosimas pleaded with tears, “Please give me your blessing, Mother. Grace is not given only to priests, but even more to those who have died to the world and live with God. For God’s sake, bless me, for I need your holy prayers.” In obedience the woman declared, “Blessed is God Who cares for the salvation of our souls.” “Amen,” answered Father Zosimas. Then the woman wanted to know why he had come and how Christians lived in the world. He said that by her holy prayers Christ had granted them peace, and asked her to continue to pray. Reminding him that he, too, must always pray, she turned toward the East. Father Zosimas heard only whispers and looked at the ground in meek confusion. When he began to think her prayer was very long, he looked up to see her standing in the air about three feet above the ground. Bowing down with tears and begging God’s mercy, he begged her to tell him of her life, so that the wisdom and treasure of God might not be hid. “My story,” said the woman, “will make you run as from a snake. You must forgive me for what you will hear, for I lived a shameful life and felt no shame. At only 12 years old I ran away from my parents, threw away my purity, and then trampled upon it with every sinful person I could find. I loved to drink wine and feel pleasure and lead others into sin; and for 17 years I never tired of any kind of sinning. “One day I saw a crowd going to Jerusalem. Since I had no money, I promised some men that I would help them pass the journey in merrymaking if they would take me with them, they agreed.
“Within a few days of our arrival, I saw a large crowd hurrying to church, I was told, for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Out of curiosity I joined them. But when my foot touched the doorstep, my body was held back by an invisible barrier. I could not enter, though I tried hard several times. Becoming tired, I let people push me aside and stood in a corner of the porch. Above me I saw an icon of the Pure Mother of God, and I began to understand that my sinful life was keeping me from entering. I turned to the icon in tears and begged the Holy Virgin to help me get inside to see the life-giving Cross, promising to give up everything and go where she would lead me after that. “Joining the crowd again, I easily entered the Church and saw the precious Cross and the Holy Mysteries; there I saw how the Lord accepts repentance. Filled with hope, I returned to the icon where I heard a voice from on high, ‘If you cross the Jordan you will find glorious rest.’ “‘O Lady, never leave me!’ I cried, and was on my way. Someone gave me coins and I bought three loaves of bread. By the grace of God they fed me for several years; for the rest of these 47 years I have been fed by the Word of God and plants I find. “But, Father, how sinful memories attacked my mind and soul like wild beasts! Dirty songs, desire for wine and rich foods, and bad companions; my clothes wore out and I suffered greatly from the heat and cold. I was strongly tempted to return to my old life.
But in my thoughts I always turned to the Mother of God, and she has always kept me safe, chasing away evil thoughts and restoring peace to my soul.” With these words she finished her story, begging the Abba to pray for her soul and not tell anyone about her until she died. The next year, on the day of the Last Supper, Zosimas brought her the Holy Mysteries, and she walked across the Jordan as on dry land to receive them.
Seeing such a miracle, Zosimas explained, “Glory to You, Christ Our God, Who has shown me through this your servant how far away I stand from perfection.”
He gave her Holy Communion, and promised to come again the following year. Again leaving the monastery for Great Lent, Zosimas found her at the appointed place, lying dead, wrapped in his mantle with her face toward the East. In the sand she had written her name, Mary, and instructions for her burial; she also wrote that she died on the day, a year before, that he had brought her Holy Communion.
Father Zosimas could not think how to to bury the saint, for he was weak and had no tools. But just then a lion appeared, and willingly dug her grave with his paws. Covering St. Mary’s feet with tears and kisses, the holy elder committed her to the earth with prayers.
Then the lion went off into the desert, and the elder returned to his monastery where he told the story which has been kept to this day, bringing glory to God and hope to sinners.
Discussion
What was the name of the man that found St. Mary?
His name was Father Zossimas.
What did the monks do when on the first day of Lent? why?
They went into the desert until Palm Sunday. They did this so they would not judge one another or praise one another during the time of fasting before Pascha.
How did Father Zossimas know that Mary was a holy person?
He knew she was Holy because she knew his name even though he didn’t tell her.
When Mary was younger was she living her life in Christ or was she a sinful person?
When she was younger she gave into temptation and did not live a Christian life.
What happened to make Mary change her mind about Christ?
When she couldn’t enter the Church like the rest of the people, she realized that it was because of all the mistakes and sins that she had done in her life.
What did she do to be able to go into the church?
She repented to God. She asked for forgiveness and said she would turn away from her bad habits. She asked the Mother of God to help her turn her life around.
How was St. Mary able to say verses from the Bible?
She said that it was God who had taught them to her.
What was the one thing St. Mary asked for from Father Zossimas?
She asked for Holy a Communion to be brought for her.
What happened after St. Mary received Holy Communion?
She asked Father Zossimas to come back in one year.
What happened one year later? Who helped Father Zossimas?
When Father Zossimas went back a year later, he found the body of St. Mary. She had died after she received Holy Communion. Father Zossimas was very weak and could not dig a grave for St. Mary. A lion appeared and helped hi, dig the grave.
Who helped St. Mary overcome her mistakes and turn away from her sinful life?
God helped her.
Who can help us overcome our mistakes and turn away from our sins?
God can help us everyday do this task. We can also pray to the Saints, like St. Mary to help us as well. In addition, we can ask those around us, our parents, grandparents, and siblings to help us when we make mistakes.
Lesson
We are coming closer to the end of Great Lent, where we will celebrate Great and Holy Pascha. Hopefully, during this time we have all been trying to become a better Christian and become closer to God. But, we have to remember that no one is perfect. We will not always make the best decisions, have everything in our lives be perfect, no matter how hard we try. While we are born to make mistakes, God still wants us to repent, to turn away from our mistakes, and to try very hard to live a life with Him at the center. Just like St. Mary of Egypt changed her life so that she could follow Christ.
When we are trying to help our children in the mistakes that the make Abba Dorotheus of Gaza says: “When mistakes occur, do not be greatly indignant but calmly show the damage the mistake caused. If you are forced to reprove someone, try to find the right time for it. Do not be strict about small mistakes or be inflexible. Do not censure continuously. This is annoying and endless reproofs lead to insensibility and contempt. Do not give orders imperatively but in humility, taking counsel with the brother. The word based on this is effective and more persuasive and comforting to the neighbor.”
One way that we find easier to speak to Moses about mistakes and correcting them, or turning away from them, is to share some struggles that we have in our lives. From not jumping to bad conclusions when in a disagreement, to always trying to use a voice with love and kindness. From not eating too much processed foods or junk food, to doing exercise and taking care of our bodies. It is never good or helpful to our children to seem superior than them or to make ourselves seem perfect. This is not the truth. It is good for them to understand that we all have struggles and mistakes and that we are always on a journey to be a better person who makes Christ the center.
Craft: “Give Up & Take Up”
For this craft you will need: 2 pieces of paper, glue, scissors, and markers or crayons.
We will connect how St. Mary of Egypt lived a sinful life when she was younger, but after she repented she lived a life in Christ. Remember we can always repent and turn away from our bad behaviors.
1. On one piece of paper, turn it horizontally, and write: St. Mary of Egypt-Give Up & Take Up
2. And below that write this Bible verse: “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Matthew 3:2
3. On the second piece of paper cut two rectangles that are about 4 inches by 2 inches (10 cm by 5 cm).
4. Glue both of the rectangles to the bottom of the piece of paper, but make sure that the top part of the rectangle does not get glued down so that you can put pieces of paper in it.
5. On one rectangle write: Give Up. On the other rectangle write: Take Up
6. With the second piece of paper, that you cut the rectangles from, make 10 thin strips of paper, about 1 cm in width and 4 cm in length.
+Encourage your children, or students to write five things or behaviors that they should give up to become closer to God. Also, think of the mistakes that St. Mary of Egypt made. Help them to understand that like St. Mary, we will not overnight become a perfect person. That is not possible. But slowly we can make steps (like we discussed last week) that will bring us closer to God.
Some ideas that Moses wrote were: eating too much sweets, yelling, watching cartoons, ignoring Mom and Dad, and making a mess.
Now, obviously at four years old Moses is not going to be able to completely stop doing these things. But they are mistakes that he knows he is making, that he can improve upon. One time he told me how he wished when he saw sweets and chocolates he didn’t want to eat them so much. But they taste so good! The first step in understanding a mistake is realizing that it exists in our lives. Our children are never too young for this lesson.
+Encourage your children, or students, to write five things or behaviors that they should take up to become closer to God. Also, think of the way that St. Mary lived when she went into the dessert. Obviously, we will not go into the wilderness all alone to become closer to God. But, we can do things in our everyday life that can help us in our journey to become closer to God.
Some ideas that Moses wrote were: be an altar boy, say prayers, listen with open ears, use a loving voice, and eat fruits and vegetables.
These were some great ideas that Moses came up with. He understand that sometimes it is much easier to do the fun things or the easy things in life. He understands that doing the right thing that lets him become closer to God can sometimes be difficult and can take a lot of self control. But our journey to the Kingdom, becoming closer to Christ, is exactly that: a journey.
Recipe
I would like to end by challenging you as an Orthodox Christian family. (I read this on the GOA website.)
This week, I want you to go with your family into nature, somewhere where there are not a lot of people. Maybe it is the park, a mountain, or on a hike. While you are there talk about how it would be to live there for 47 years all alone. Discuss the story of St. Mary of Egypt. Also discuss how quiet it is and how it is much easier to be with God in nature and in silence.
I would like to share with you a beautiful quote by Archimandrite Nektarios Antonopoulos in his book titled Return.
“When we show our wounds to the doctor, we mention our pains, our troubling, our illnesses without hiding anything, thus also in confession. We strip our soul, we reveal our wounds, we confess our illness and our personal pain. If this does not occur, we will remain unhealed. Our wounds will grow, the pollution and rotting will advance, the illness will continue undermining our being and sooner or later will lead us to death.”
As we come to the last week before Holy Week consider attending confession as a family and repenting for your sins, as did St. Mary, before we celebrate the Feast of Great and Holy Pascha.
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