Venerable MARY OF EGYPT (†522)

Mary of Egypt. Who was she? A great sinner, a harlot, insatiable in sin, she lived in Alexandria, famous for its luxury and vices. The grace of God and the intercession of the Mother of God turned her to repentance, and her repentance surpassed in strength both her sins and the idea of ​​what was possible for human nature. The Reverend spent 47 years in the desert, of which for 17 years (exactly as much as she sinned) she waged a fierce struggle with the passions that overwhelmed her, until the Grace of God cleansed her, until she washed and brightened her soul to the state of an angel.

In the old days, it was believed that Mary of Egypt would judge all harlots at the afterlife court. They said that through the prayer of parents, she can save a son or daughter who has turned away from the true path from a life of fornication and lewdness. The peasants spent the Day of Mary of Egypt in strict abstinence.

Every year during Great Lent, the Orthodox Church remembers the feat of Mary of Egypt and her amazing life (the reading of her life takes place on Wednesday evening). On Thursday of the 5th week at Matins the penitential canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read. It contains an appeal specifically to her, the Venerable Mary. "Mary's Standing" - this is what this service is called. Standing in repentance. Standing in faith. Standing in the fight against sin.

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Saint Mary of Egypt was a repentant harlot who lived in the 5th century. At the age of 12, she left her parents from an Egyptian village to Alexandria, where she lived as a harlot for 17 years, meeting with her lovers both for pay and voluntarily.

Noticing a crowd of pilgrims heading to Jerusalem for the feast of the erection of the cross, she joins them with unclean intentions, pays the shipmen for transportation with her body, and then continues fornication in Jerusalem itself.

In Jerusalem, Mary tried to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, but some invisible force “three times and four times” held her back and did not let her in. Realizing her fall, she began to pray in front of the icon of the Mother of God, located in the vestibule of the temple. After this, she was able to enter the temple and venerate the Life-Giving Cross. Enlightened by such punishment, she vows to henceforth live in purity.

Having asked the Virgin Mary to continue to guide her, Mary of Egypt hears someone’s voice: “Cross the Jordan and you will find blissful peace,”- and accepts it as a sign given to her. She buys three loaves of bread for alms and goes with them into the Trans-Jordanian desert. For the first 17 years, she is haunted by enticing memories of her former life, of wine and riotous songs: “When I started eating, I dreamed of the meat and wine that I ate in Egypt; I wanted to drink my favorite wine. While in the world, I drank a lot of wine, but here I had no water; I was exhausted from thirst and suffered terribly. Sometimes I had a very embarrassing desire to sing the prodigal songs to which I was accustomed. Then I shed tears, beat myself on the chest and remembered the vows I made when leaving for the desert.”

Then all temptations suddenly recede, and “great silence” sets in for the hermit. Meanwhile, the worn out himation disintegrates; Mary is tormented by summer heat and winter cold, from which she has nothing to cover her naked body. She feeds on tough desert grasses, and later, apparently, ceases to need food at all. In complete solitude, without books and, moreover, without literacy, she acquires a wonderful knowledge of sacred texts.

For 47 years she has not met a single person. The only person who saw Mary after she left for the desert was Hieromonk Zosima. He, following the rules of the Jordan monastery, withdrew into the desert for fasting and prayer during Lent. There he met Maria, to whom he gave half of his himation (outer clothing) to cover his nakedness.

He witnessed miracles and saw how, during prayer, she rose into the air and hung in weightlessness about half a meter from the ground. Filled with awe, Zosima asked Maria to tell him about her life. Having told him everything, Mary asked Zosima to return in a year with the holy gifts and give her communion, but she said not to cross the Jordan, but to wait for her on the other side.

A year later, as Mary said, Zosima on Maundy Thursday, taking the Holy Gifts, went to the bank of the Jordan. There he saw Maria walking along the other bank and thought how she could cross the river without a boat, but Maria, before his eyes, crossed the river on water as if on land, approached the astonished Zosima and took communion from his hands. Mary asked Zosima to come to the first place of their meeting a year later and then again crossed the Jordan on the water and retired into the desert.

Having come to the desert another year in the hope of seeing the saint, he no longer found her alive. Zosima found her body and next to it there was an inscription: “Bury, Abba Zosima, in this place the body of the humble Mary, give ashes to ashes. Pray to God for me, who died in the month, in Egyptian Farmufius, in Roman April, on the first day, on the night of the saving Passion of Christ, after communion of the Divine Mysteries.” Not knowing how to dig a grave, he saw a lion emerging from the desert, which with its claws dug a hole for burying the body of the righteous woman. This happened in 522. Returning to the monastery, Zosima told the other monks about the ascetic who had lived in the desert for many years. This tradition was transmitted orally until it was written down in the 7th century by Sophronius of Jerusalem.

Christian doctrine considers the example of Mary of Egypt as an example of perfect repentance.

Many churches are dedicated to Mary of Egypt; in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem there is a chapel in honor of St. Mary of Egypt, built on the site of her conversion.

The ark with a particle of the relics of the Venerable Mary of Egypt is located in the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow.

Troparion, tone 8:
In you, mother, it is known that you were saved in the image: having accepted the cross, you followed Christ, and in action you taught to despise the flesh, for it passes away, but to adhere to the souls, things that are immortal. Likewise, the angels will rejoice, O Reverend Mary, your spirit.

Kontakion, tone 4:
Having escaped the darkness of sin, having illuminated your heart with the light of repentance, glorious one, you came to Christ, to whom, the all-immaculate and holy Mother, you brought a merciful prayer book. You have found forgiveness from your sins and sins, and you will rejoice with the angels forever.

Prayer:
Hear the unworthy prayer of us sinners, deliver us, reverend mother, from the passions that war on our souls, from all sorrow and adversity, from sudden death and from all evil, at the hour of separation of soul and body, cast away, holy saint, all evil thought and crafty demons, as if our souls may receive our souls in peace into a place of light, Christ the Lord our God, as from him the cleansing of sins, and He is the salvation of our souls, to Him belongs all glory and honor; and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

During Great Lent, words about Mary of Egypt are sure to be heard in churches. As a rule, they talk about her conversion from sin, about her long repentance in the desert. But one word about her is remembered somehow especially, it is akin to a good iconographic image. This is the sermon of the Holy Martyr. Serafima (Chichagova) "On the Call of God." Probably not everyone knows about this instruction *, since the name of the Venerable Mary is not included in its title, but it is mostly dedicated to this saint. And so, there is a line in it, capacious and deep, conveying the essence of her story and at the same time allowing us to see the known, as if, for the first time, no longer as a chain of events, but as a true miracle performed by God. This is what Svmch says. Seraphim: “...after 47 years, the elder monk Zosima once met her in the desert at night, this one is one of the great sinners- great righteous woman...".

Usually about Rev. Mary of Egypt is spoken of as being “mercied” by God, and this is true. But it is not often possible to feel and convey the immensity of God’s mercy. After all, what do the words Svmch mean? Seraphim, what did he see? - Yes, that's what past Reverend Maria simply no... There is no harlot. There is the greatest saint! The one who entered heaven along with the virgins.

In relation to sin, only the human soul and human judgment are “long-remembering.” God's measure different. For Christ there are no apostles who “left Him,” no Peter who “denied Him,” no Paul who “sympathized with the beating of Archdeacon Stephen,” but there is only students And supreme apostles Peter and Paul. True forgiveness, the one that the Lord teaches us, is complete, forever erasing what happened yesterday. This is what makes it possible for a repentant person to transition to another state; a transition that may seem “inconceivable”, “too generous” and almost “mythical” for the stingy soul: of the great sinners- great righteous woman!“How so?! After all, she…” or: “Okay, let her be a saint, but what a terrible example, however!”

Let all this not seem like an exaggeration or a dubious shift in emphasis. Once, in a wonderful sermon about my saint, I heard unexpected and, apparently, hasty words: “How many of these “Marys of Egypt” are there in Russia now!” - "How many?"- I wanted to ask... The pain of a priest who accepts hundreds, if not thousands of confessions and worries even more about those who never reach the lectern, was understandable. It was a “scream” breaking through. But the point is precisely that there are no “Maries of Egypt”... There is no repentance that can lead a person like this, for forty-seven years into the desert beyond the Jordan, to put him on the path of asceticism, on the path of extreme asceticism! And the point is not even this, but the fact that the sanctified Mary, whom St. Zosima calls "treasure", the blessing of which he considers a great joy for himself and which he fears... not to see again, cannot be “typed” even in the slightest as an “example for inimitation.” Why? Precisely because her past is gone.

What is striking about her life? The complete dispassion with which she “gives” God with the testimony of the priest confessing her sins is her very confession, addressed to us. (Christians of the first centuries repented openly.) There is not the slightest shade of self-justification or, on the contrary, morbidity in it. Everything is perfect, to the end, “to the bottom”, consciously, mourned and outlived... She only removes from the soul past passions that almost destroyed her, like “rags” that... have no power over her for a long time.

At the same time, Mary of Egypt’s repentance before the priest, that is, according to the rules of the Church, has nothing to do with indifference. She once again deeply experiences the events of almost half a century ago. And the Monk Zosima with trepidation accepted confession... from the saint.

And so, through the word Svmch. Seraphim (Chichagov), life of St. Mary is revealed as arranged by God the work of man's salvation, which started yet before his appeals, against his will, through seemingly “random” circumstances that led a lost soul to the foot of the Lord’s Cross.

Gorgeous

...Jerusalem was preparing for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Many pilgrims moved along the narrow streets to venerate the greatest shrine - the Cross of the Savior, found by Queen Helena. But even in this diversity, one Egyptian woman attracted attention. Dark, flexible, like a ribbon, with quick glances and impetuous movements, she did not look like a Christian woman. There was a sense of pride in her entire appearance. She clearly knew the value of her remarkable beauty.

When the temple gates opened, the Egyptian woman, out of curiosity, decided to go with everyone. After much effort, she approached the doors of the temple porch.

From all sides of her, people freely penetrated inside, but she remained in the same place. Attempts to join another stream did not bring results. She was simply thrown away like a grain of sand by a wave. Every time, after much effort and exhaustion, she reached the threshold of the temple, a movement occurred that carried her far back. This went on for a long time. The Egyptian woman became depressed. Finally, completely exhausted, she leaned against the wall of the vestibule. And here Mary of Egypt suddenly clearly understood that everything that happened to her was not accidental: she was not allowed Myself Lord. This feeling was obvious and so acute that her conscience began to speak out of horror; It was as if a flash had illuminated her whole life.

Detours

As a teenager, a barely formed girl, she ran away from her parents and for seventeen years never thought about turning back. IN that life was all too prosaic new the same, whose mistress she felt herself to be, promised freedom and happiness. All these years she was driven like a scourge by a shameful passion.

It was not self-interest or poverty that forced Mary of Egypt to live among the fallen, but vice, which completely subjugated her will. The reason, the beginning of everything, was pride from the consciousness of one’s youth and rare beauty. It was not the desire to venerate the holy places that brought her to Jerusalem, and she got on the ship sailing from Alexandria by accident, having neither definite plans nor responsibilities capable of keeping a person in one place. She was attracted by the opportunity to have fun where there were many young people. Neither the place where the Egyptian ship was heading, nor the surroundings of pilgrims stopped her. And only at that moment, in the vestibule, she was horrified for the first time by what she understood: God sees her.

Amazed by the obvious sign of God's opposition and seeing herself not at all beautiful, but, on the contrary, unclean and unworthy, she began to cry more and more, to the point of despair. And then the gaze of Mary of Egypt fell on the icon of the Mother of God.

"Protection" of sinners

As the opposite of herself, a meek, spiritualized beauty shone from the image. The glance of the Virgin Mary, alive, penetrating the soul and distinguishing her movements, struck the Egyptian, and the half-smile of the Mother of Christ gave timid hope. And then she fell to the Mother of God, as to the only one who, despite everything, incomprehensibly, inexplicably, does not disdain her... Her words were incoherent, confused, interrupted by sobs. She asked only for one thing - not to completely reject her, if possible, to ask God for forgiveness for her, to help her rise, to give her more time to atone for her past desecrated life. Just as a mother knows how to understand the indistinct babble of a child, so the Mother of God recognizes the movements in the Christian soul. And after some time, having already clearly felt the mercy of the Mother of God, Her responsiveness and holy intercession, the Egyptian woman was no longer like a “stranger”, “rejected”, but like a child who had finally been found and encouraged by her parents, walked freely through the multitude of people and did not bow down. , and fell near the Crucifixion on Golgotha. At that moment she felt rather than realized that already redeemed and forgiven that in this very place the Lord bore all her sins. You just need to renounce your previous life and become worthy of Him, not betray and never forget this...

She prayed for a long time in front of the icon of the Mother of God, thanking her Intercessor and Guarantor and promising to correct her life, until she heard a voice: “If you cross the Jordan, you will find complete peace for yourself.”

Trusting in the help of the Mother of God and still seeing Her Face before her, the Egyptian woman, without losing her prayer, like the thread that connected her to Heaven, walked to the Jordan all day without rest. A random passer-by, seeing her face swollen from tears, gave her three coins, with which she bought herself three loaves of bread. Having prayed in the Church of the Holy Prophet and Baptist of the Lord John, washed herself in the Jordan, she returned to the temple to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. She did not find sleeping on the bare ground tiresome. Just before dawn, having found an abandoned boat, she crossed to the other side. In front of her was a deserted desert. Then she disappeared from human eyes... An old dress, and two and a half loaves in her hands...

Today, April 14, the church honors the memory of the great saint! Mary of Egypt is one of the most revered saints among Orthodox Christians. Find out more about St. Mary of Egypt from the prepared material below! Have a nice and useful reading!

THE LIFE OF MARY OF EGYPT

The Venerable Mary, nicknamed the Egyptian, lived in the mid-5th and early 6th centuries. Her youth did not bode well. Mary was only twelve years old when she left her home in the city of Alexandria. Being free from parental supervision, young and inexperienced, Maria became carried away with a vicious life. There was no one to stop her on the path to destruction, and there were many seducers and temptations. So Mary lived in sins for 17 years, until the merciful Lord turned her to repentance.

It happened like this. By coincidence, Mary joined a group of pilgrims heading to the Holy Land. Sailing with pilgrims on the ship, Mary did not stop seducing people and sinning. Once in Jerusalem, she joined the pilgrims heading to the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.

Church of the Resurrection, Jerusalem

People entered the temple in a wide crowd, but Mary was stopped at the entrance by an invisible hand and could not enter it with any effort. Then she realized that the Lord did not allow her to enter the holy place because of her uncleanness.

Seized with horror and a feeling of deep repentance, she began to pray to God to forgive her sins, promising to radically correct her life. Seeing an icon of the Mother of God at the entrance to the temple, Mary began to ask the Mother of God to intercede for her before God. After this, she immediately felt enlightenment in her soul and entered the temple without hindrance. Shedding copious tears at the Holy Sepulcher, she left the temple as a completely different person.

Mary fulfilled her promise to change her life. From Jerusalem she retired to the harsh and deserted Jordanian desert and there she spent almost half a century in complete solitude, in fasting and prayer. Thus, through severe deeds, Mary of Egypt completely eradicated all sinful desires in herself and made her heart a pure temple of the Holy Spirit.

Elder Zosima, who lived in the Jordan Monastery of St. John the Baptist, by the providence of God, was honored to meet the Venerable Mary in the desert, when she was already an old woman. He was amazed by her holiness and gift of insight. One day he saw her during prayer, as if rising above the earth, and another time, walking across the Jordan River, as if on dry land.

Parting with Zosima, the Monk Mary asked him to come again to the desert a year later to give her communion. The elder returned at the appointed time and communed the Venerable Mary with the Holy Mysteries. Then, coming to the desert another year later in the hope of seeing the saint, he no longer found her alive. The elder buried the remains of St. Mary there in the desert, in which he was helped by a lion, who with his claws dug a hole for burying the body of the righteous woman. This was approximately in 521.

Thus, from a great sinner, the Venerable Mary became, with God’s help, the greatest saint and left such a vivid example of repentance.

ICON OF MARY OF EGYPT

WHAT DO THE REVEREND MARY OF EGYPT PRAY FOR MOST OFTEN?

They pray to Mary of Egypt for overcoming fornication, for the granting of repentant feelings in all circumstances.

PRAYER OF MARY OF EGYPT

O great saint of Christ, Venerable Mary! Those who stand before the Throne of God in Heaven, and who are with us in the spirit of love on earth, who have boldness towards the Lord, pray to save His servants, who flow to you with love. Ask us from the Most Merciful Master and Lord of faith for immaculate observance of our cities and villages, for salvation from famine and destruction, for those who mourn - consolation, for the sick - healing, for the fallen - rebellion, for those who are lost - strengthening, prosperity and blessing in good deeds, for orphans and widows - intercession and eternal rest for those who have departed from this life, but on the day of the Last Judgment we will all be at the right hand of the country and hear the blessed voice of the Judge of the world: come, blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, and receive your abode there forever. Amen.

VIDEO FILM ABOUT SAINT MARY

Materials used: website Pravoslavie.ru, YouTube.com; photo - A. Pospelov, A. Elshin.

Place of the feat of the Venerable Mary of Egypt

It was here, next to the Place of the Baptism of the Savior, that the Venerable Mary of Egypt lived in complete solitude for 47 years.

This story happened at the end of the 5th - beginning of the 6th centuries. The Venerable Mary accomplished a feat that amazes the imagination of everyone who learns about it: having decided to overcome her sinfulness, she went into the desert, exposed to incredible dangers and trials, reached the heights of the spirit and is now our intercessor before the Lord.

You can find the biography (life) of the saint on Orthodox websites. And you can worship the place where her feat, death and burial took place very close, just a few minutes walk, from the Jordan River and the Place of the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Today, April 14, the church honors the memory of the great saint! Mary of Egypt is one of the most revered saints among Orthodox Christians. Find out more about St. Mary of Egypt from the prepared material below! Have a nice and useful reading!

Life of Mary of Egypt

The Venerable Mary, nicknamed the Egyptian, lived in the mid-5th and early 6th centuries. Her youth did not bode well. Mary was only twelve years old when she left her home in the city of Alexandria. Being free from parental supervision, young and inexperienced, Maria became carried away with a vicious life. There was no one to stop her on the path to destruction, and there were many seducers and temptations. So Mary lived in sins for 17 years, until the merciful Lord turned her to repentance.

It happened like this. By coincidence, Mary joined a group of pilgrims heading to the Holy Land. Sailing with pilgrims on the ship, Mary did not stop seducing people and sinning. Once in Jerusalem, she joined the pilgrims heading to the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.

Church of the Resurrection, Jerusalem

People entered the temple in a wide crowd, but Mary was stopped at the entrance by an invisible hand and could not enter it with any effort. Then she realized that the Lord did not allow her to enter the holy place because of her uncleanness.

Seized with horror and a feeling of deep repentance, she began to pray to God to forgive her sins, promising to radically correct her life. Seeing an icon of the Mother of God at the entrance to the temple, Mary began to ask the Mother of God to intercede for her before God. After this, she immediately felt enlightenment in her soul and entered the temple without hindrance. Shedding copious tears at the Holy Sepulcher, she left the temple as a completely different person.

Mary fulfilled her promise to change her life. From Jerusalem she retired to the harsh and deserted Jordanian desert and there she spent almost half a century in complete solitude, in fasting and prayer. Thus, through severe deeds, Mary of Egypt completely eradicated all sinful desires in herself and made her heart a pure temple of the Holy Spirit.

Elder Zosima, who lived in the Jordan Monastery of St. John the Baptist, by the providence of God, was honored to meet the Venerable Mary in the desert, when she was already an old woman. He was amazed by her holiness and gift of insight. One day he saw her during prayer, as if rising above the earth, and another time, walking across the Jordan River, as if on dry land.

Parting with Zosima, the Monk Mary asked him to come again to the desert a year later to give her communion. The elder returned at the appointed time and communed the Venerable Mary with the Holy Mysteries. Then, coming to the desert another year later in the hope of seeing the saint, he no longer found her alive. The elder buried the remains of St. Mary there in the desert, in which he was helped by a lion, who with his claws dug a hole for burying the body of the righteous woman. This was approximately in 521.

Thus, from a great sinner, the Venerable Mary became, with God’s help, the greatest saint and left such a vivid example of repentance.

What do St. Mary of Egypt most often pray for?

They pray to Mary of Egypt for overcoming fornication, for the granting of repentant feelings in all circumstances.

Prayer of Mary of Egypt

O great saint of Christ, Venerable Mary! Those who stand before the Throne of God in Heaven, and who are with us in the spirit of love on earth, who have boldness towards the Lord, pray to save His servants, who flow to you with love. Ask us from the Most Merciful Master and Lord of faith for immaculate observance of our cities and villages, for salvation from famine and destruction, for those who mourn - consolation, for the sick - healing, for the fallen - uprising, for those who are lost - strengthening, prosperity and blessing in good deeds, for orphans and widows - intercession and eternal rest for those who have departed from this life, but on the day of the Last Judgment we will all be at the right hand of the country and hear the blessed voice of the Judge of the world: come, blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, and receive your abode there forever. Amen.

Video film about Saint Mary

Materials used: website Pravoslavie.ru, YouTube.com; photo - A. Pospelov, A. Elshin.

Among the holy icons looking at us from the walls of Orthodox churches, there is one on which the gaze involuntarily stops. It depicts the figure of a woman. Her thin, emaciated body is wrapped in an old cloak. The woman’s dark, almost tanned skin is scorched by the desert sun. In her hands is a cross made of dry reed stalks. This is the greatest Christian saint, who became a symbol of repentance - the Venerable Mary of Egypt. The icon conveys to us its strict, ascetic features.

The Sinful Life of Young Mary

The holy elder Zosima told the world about the life and exploits of the saint. By the will of God, he met her in the depths of the desert, where he himself went to spend the Great Pentecost, far from the world, in fasting and prayer. There, on the sun-scorched land, Saint Mary of Egypt was revealed to him. The icon of the saint often depicts this meeting. She confessed to him, telling the amazing story of her life.

She was born at the end of the 5th century in Egypt. But it just so happened that in her youth Mary was far from unquestioningly observing the commandments of God. Moreover, unbridled passions and the absence of intelligent and pious mentors turned the young girl into a vessel of sin. She was only twelve years old when, having left her parents' home in Alexandria, she found herself left to her own devices in a world full of vice and temptations. And the harmful consequences were not long in coming.

Very soon Maria indulged in unbridled debauchery. The goal of her life was to seduce and involve as many men as possible into destructive sin. By her own admission, she never took money from them. On the contrary, Maria earned her living by honest work. Debauchery was not her source of income - it was the meaning of her life. This went on for 17 years.

A turning point in Maria's life

But then one day an event occurred that radically changed the entire lifestyle of the young sinner. The Holy Cross was approaching, and a large number of pilgrims were leaving Egypt for Jerusalem. Their path lay along the sea. Mary, among the others, boarded the ship, but not in order to venerate the Life-Giving Tree in the holy land, but so that during the long sea voyage she could indulge in debauchery with bored men. So she ended up in the holy city.

In the temple, Mary mingled with the crowd and, together with other pilgrims, began to move towards the shrine, when suddenly an unknown force blocked her path and threw her back. The sinner tried again, but the same thing happened every time. Finally realizing that it was Divine power that was not allowing her into the temple for her sins, Mary was filled with the deepest repentance, beat herself in the chest with her hands and in tears begged for forgiveness before what she saw in front of her. Her prayer was heard, and the Most Holy Theotokos showed the girl the path to her salvation: Mary had to cross to the other side of the Jordan and retire into the desert for repentance and knowledge of God.

Life in the desert

From that time on, Mary died to the world. Retiring into the desert, she led a very difficult ascetic life. Thus, from a former libertine, the Venerable Mary of Egypt was born. The icon usually represents her precisely during the years of deprivation and hardship of hermit life. The insignificant supply of bread she had taken with her soon ran out, and the saint ate roots and what she could find in the sun-dry desert. Her clothes eventually decayed on her, and she remained naked. Mary suffered torment from the heat and cold. So forty-seven years passed.

One day in the desert she met an old monk who had retired from the world for a while for prayer and fasting. This was a hieromonk, that is, a minister with the rank of priest. Covering her nakedness, Mary confessed to him, telling the story of her fall and repentance. This monk was the same Zosima who told the world about her life. Years later, he himself will be counted among the saints.

Zosima told the brethren of his monastery about the foresight of Saint Mary, about her ability to see the future. The years spent in repentant prayer transformed not only the soul, but also the body. Mary of Egypt, whose icon represents her walking on water, acquired properties similar to those of the flesh of the risen Christ. She could actually walk on water and during prayer she rose one elbow above the ground.

Communion of the Holy Gifts

Zosima, at Mary’s request, met with her a year later, bringing with him the pre-sanctified Holy Gifts and gave her communion. This is the only time that Saint Mary of Egypt tasted the Body and Blood of the Lord. The icon, the photo of which is in front of you, depicts just this moment. When they parted, she asked to come to her in the desert in five years.

Saint Zosima fulfilled her request, but when he came, he found only her lifeless body. He wanted to bury her remains, but the hard and rocky soil of the desert did not yield to his senile hands. Then the Lord showed a miracle - a lion came to the aid of the saint. The wild beast dug a grave with its paws, where the relics of the righteous woman were lowered. Another icon of Mary of Egypt (the photo was taken from her) completes the article. This is the episode of mourning and burial of the saint.

The infinity of God's mercy

The mercy of the Lord is all-encompassing. There is no sin that could surpass His love for people. It is not for nothing that the Lord is called the Good Shepherd. No lost sheep will be left to perish.

Heavenly Father will do everything to turn her onto the true path. All that matters is the desire to cleanse yourself and deep repentance. Christianity provides many such examples. The most striking among them are Mary Magdalene, the Prudent Thief and, of course, Mary of Egypt, whose icon, prayer, and life showed many the path from the darkness of sin to the light of righteousness.