Venerable Mary of Tarsus, Who Was Once a Harlot

Venerable Mary of Tarsus (Feast Day - September 14)

 

By St. John Moschos

Two elders were traveling from Aegaion to Tarsus in Cilicia when, by the Providence of God, they stopped for rest at a small inn, for the heat was intense. There they found three young men who had with them a harlot. The elders settled themselves down apart and one of them got out his holy Gospel and began to read aloud. When the harlot who was with the young men saw the elder begin to read, she came and sat down near him, forsaking the young men. The elder, however, drove her off, saying to her:

The Life of Saint Mary of Egypt and Its Theological Messages (4 of 4)

...continued from part three.

Sixth. The Energy of Holy Communion.

Saint Mary of Egypt, as can be seen from the biography compiled by Saint Sophronios of Jerusalem, communed with the Body and Blood of Christ at the beginning of her repentance and immediately after Holy Communion she devoted her entire life to repentance in the desert, and after forty-seven years of repentance she was found worthy to partake again of the Body and Body of Christ and on the same day to depart to God. This shows us that asceticism cannot be separated from Holy Communion, the eating and drinking of the Body and Blood of Christ.

The important thing is that Saint Mary of Egypt arrived at the place where Abbot Zosimas was waiting for her, walking on the waters of the Jordan River, and left after Holy Communion in the same way, though of course after Holy Communion she traveled the distance of twenty days within one day and there she reposed, where she experienced her resurrection and ascension.

Fourth Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent (St. Luke of Simferopol)

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered in 1959)

We know from the book of Genesis that God created man in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26).

We also know that the Lord God created him “from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7).

Thus, the spirit and soul of man have their origin in the Spirit of God and are therefore capable of communion with Him. Remember this.

The Life of Saint Mary of Egypt and Its Theological Messages (3 of 4)

 ...continued from part two.

2. Theological Lessons from the Life of Saint Mary of Egypt

Already in the brief presentation of the life of Saint Mary of Egypt, which we have just read, the great personality of Saint Mary was clearly seen, but at the same time the power of the Grace of God was revealed, which regenerated her from the woeful state in which she was.

There are many theological lessons that come out of the life of Saint Mary of Egypt, but it will suffice to point out the most basic in a very concise way.

The Life of Saint Mary of Egypt and Its Theological Messages (2 of 4)

 

...continued from part one.

According to her narration, in which later, after her death, she revealed to him that her name was Mary, she lived a prodigal life in Egypt from the time she was twelve years old, since from this young age, as she narrates, "I at first ruined my virginity and then unrestrainedly and insatiably gave myself up to sensuality." Living this life she did not make money, she simply satisfied her passion. She said to him: "It was not for the sake of gain - here I speak the pure truth", but she did her work for free, "doing free of charge what gave me pleasure." And she further revealed: "I had an insatiable desire and an irrepressible passion for lying in filth. This was life to me. Every kind of abuse of nature I regarded as life."

The Life of Saint Mary of Egypt and Its Theological Messages (1 of 4)

 By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Many people in our time, from various circumstances of a volatile life, are tormented by situations of guilt, which inevitably lead to existential pain, depression and despair.

The Church, however, comforts people, because it shows them ways to escape from frustration, which is the devil's greatest weapon in order to dismantle people, and it shows them the truth that they have enormous abilities to transform with the energies of divine Grace. It can be that from the worst state of being that they can attain to deification, to become, that is, according to Grace what God is by nature.

The Church, however, is not content only with the teaching of deification, but also presents examples, in which it shows how a person in the most miserable condition can experience blessed deification.

One of these examples is Saint Mary of Egypt, whose memory the Church determined to be celebrated, besides on the day of her repose on April 1st, also on the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent to encourage everyone on their journey towards deification and sanctification.

First Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent (St. Luke of Simferopol)

On the Fear of God

 

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea

On the fifth Sunday of Great Lent, our Holy Church honors the memory of Saint Mary of Egypt. Her truly wonderful life is known to you because every year on this day it is narrated in the churches. But I will describe her again in a few words to remember the unusual and unique life of this Saint.

She was a very beautiful woman, living in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, and she spent her life in prodigality. One day while walking on the beach she saw a boat with many Christians that was ready to sail to Jerusalem for the feast of the Exaltation of the Honorable Cross. The thought came to her to go for a trip to Jerusalem as well.

Fifth Sunday of Great Lent - Sunday of Saint Mary of Egypt (Elder Epiphanios Theodoropoulos)

 

By Archimandrite Epiphanios Theodoropoulos

On this day we honor the memory of our Venerable Mother Mary of Egypt, who is celebrated on the 1st of April. As the Horologion says: "It was also established for today, as we approach the end of Holy Lent, to arouse the idle and sinful towards repentance, having as an example the celebrated Saint." From this same book we record the following about this holy woman.

The Virginity of the Theotokos and the Repentance of Saint Mary of Egypt

By Andreas Christophoros

The Virginity of the Theotokos is not only her physical purity and moral integrity from the bottom of her heart, but above all the fact that she never separated from the Love of the Triune God, from the time of her Conception to her Dormition.

Then, as soon as I admired the modern Saints Porphyrios Paisios, Iakovos, Joseph the Hesychast, Ephraim of Katounakia and others, that they also had this Virginity, I realized that those who repent do not separate from the Love of the Triune God and they do not lag behind in the Life of God, like Saint Mary of Egypt.

The Life of Saint Mary of Egypt as a Response to the Trials of the Faithful Due to the Pandemic

Human life is characterized by various fluctuations, from joys and sorrows, to optimism and despair.

Events revolve around us with dizzying speed, while we are called to stand up and manage them.

This management is very difficult, due to the large number and especially the suddenness of certain events. However, we are called upon to manage them in the best possible way, for the benefit of ourselves, our family and society as a whole.

In the effort we make, we seek some models, which will strengthen us, give us answers, convince us to keep trying.

One such model in human life is Saint Mary of Egypt.

The Relic of the Right Foot of St. Mary of Egypt in Moscow

In the 17th century the only church dedicated to St. Mary of Egypt in Moscow was at the Sretensky Monastery. In 1706, a chapel was added to the Church of Saint Mary of Egypt in honor of the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. In 1707, the famous Russian diplomat, Yemelyan Ignatievich Ukraintsev, presented to the Sretensky Monastery the holy relics of Mary of Egypt in a silver reliquary, which the Patriarch Dositheos of Jerusalem gave to him for helping with the negotiations with the Turkish Sultan Mustafa.

St. Mary of Egypt in Russian Art

In Western European art, there are practically no images of Mary of Egypt, since most artists directed their energy to the image of Mary Magdalene on the same subjects and often confused the two Saints. The reverse situation took place in Eastern icon painting in that while the image of Mary Magdalene are practically not developed, Mary of Egypt (as a hermit in rags) was widely depicted, both alone, with scenes from her life, and together with other saints.

A Village in Crete Named After St. Mary of Egypt

One of the many reasons people come to Chania and Western Crete is to hike down the Samaria Gorge, an 18 kilometer crack that cuts through the White Mountains and ends at the Libyan Sea. The entire hike takes around 6 hours. The number of people who do this trek is getting close to 200,000 a year which is even more amazing when you consider that it is closed from November to May to limit the number of people washed away by the torrent which rages through it during those months. Despite the crowds it is something everyone must experience. It will be one of the major experiences of your life.

Imitating the Repentance of Mary of Egypt (St. Kosmas the Aitolos)

By St. Kosmas the Aitolos

Blessed Mary of Egypt was twelve years old when she fell into the hands of the devil. She lived in sin day and night. But the merciful God enlightened her and she abandoned the world and went into the desert. There she led a hermit’s life for forty years. She was cleansed and became like an angel. God wished to give her rest, so lie sent the holy ascetic Zosimas to hear her confession and to give her holy communion. Then He received her holy soul into paradise, where she rejoices with the angels. If there is anyone here like Blessed Mary, let him immediately weep and repent, now that he has time, and let him be assured that he will be saved as was Blessed Mary.

Source: Second Teaching.

"Saint Mary of Egypt" (Movie)

I don't have any information about this movie on the life of St. Mary of Egypt, but it does have English subtitles and is worth taking a look. The first video is a brief overview about St. Mary of Egypt with clips from the movie, and the second video is the movie in its entirety. This is one of two movies about St. Mary of Egypt that can be found in the Saint Mary of Egypt Resource Page.

What Was the Occupation of St. Mary of Egypt Before Her Repentance?

This question is a trick question to see who pays attention to details. I know most people would answer the question above with words like "prostitute", "harlot" or even "sex worker". Well, answers like this would be wrong. This is what most people assume was the occupation of Mary of Egypt before her repentance. But in the Life of Mary of Egypt she specifically says:

The Path to Theosis in the Life of Saint Mary of Egypt

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

Many people nowadays, because of various unstable circumstances in their lives, are tormented by states of guilt, which inevitably lead to existential suffering, depression and despair. The Church, however, offers us consolation by showing us ways to escape from disillusionment, the devil’s strongest weapon for man’s destruction, and making us aware of the fact that we have enormous potential for transformation through the energy of divine grace. However bad the state in which we find ourselves, we can attain to deification. We can become by grace what God is by nature.

The whole of ecclesiastical life is focused on this goal, because without this perspective the Church becomes secularised. The theology of [theosis] deification is evident in every part of the Church’s life: in the definitions and canons of the Ecumenical and Local Councils; in patristic teaching; in the sacramental prayers of the Church, particularly those of the great Sacrament of the Divine Eucharist; and in the ecclesiastical arts, such as hymnography and iconography.

The Church is not content, however, just to teach about theosis, but presents us with specific examples to demonstrate how a person in the most wretched condition can experience blessed deification [theosis]. One such example is St Mary of Egypt, whose memory the Church has appointed to be celebrated not just on the day of her repose (1st April) but also on the 5th Sunday of Great Lent, to encourage each of us on our path to deification and sanctification.

In the following pages we shall cite some elements from the life of St Mary of Egypt, and then we shall set out the theological teachings that can be drawn from the truly extraordinary and moving life of this blessed woman, in order to see God’s wonderful works.

The Drowning of Mary, A Woman Who Was a Sinner

By St. John Moschos

Palladius also told us that he had heard a certain sea captain once tell him about a voyage of his when he had several male and female passengers aboard. Out on the high seas other ships seemed to be sailing well under a favorable wind, some to Constantinople, some to Alexandria, some to other places, but he could make no progress at all.

"We stayed put for about fifteen days," he said, "unable to move from where we were. We became very depressed and desperate, not knowing whatever could be causing this. As captain responsible for the care of the ship and everyone in her I began to pray about it to God. And indeed on a certain day a voice came to me saying: 'Get rid of Mary and you will sail well.' 'What did that mean,' I thought, 'and who is Mary?' And as I turned this over in my mind the voice came again, saying: 'I tell you, get rid of Mary and you will be alright.'

The Conversion and Life of Mary the Harlot

By St. John Moschos

Two elders were traveling from Aegaion to Tarsus in Cilicia when, by the Providence of God, they stopped for rest at a small inn, for the heat was intense. There they found three young men who had with them a harlot. The elders settled themselves down apart and one of them got out his holy Gospel and began to read [aloud]. When the harlot who was with the young men saw the elder begin to read, she came and sat down near him, forsaking the young men. The elder, however, drove her off, saying to her:

Sunday of Saint Mary of Egypt Resource Page

Verses

Her spirit hath departed, and her flesh decayed long ago.

O earth, conceal the bony corpse of Mary.

Sunday of Saint Mary of Egypt

Sunday of Saint Mary of Egypt: Epistle and Gospel Reading

Synaxarion for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent

A Synaxarion for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent

 

Fifth Sunday of Great Lent - Sunday of Saint Mary of Egypt (Elder Epiphanios Theodoropoulos)

 

Hymns and Readings of the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent

The Fifth Sunday of Great Lent Before the Fourteenth Century

 

Discourse on ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of sinners’ (Basil of Seleucia) 

Sermon for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent (St. Theodore the Studite)

Behold, We Go Up To Jerusalem (St. Theophylact of Ochrid)

Homily on the Fifth Sunday of Lent (St. Gregory Palamas)

 

Fifth Sunday of Great Lent: Homily on Repentance (Bishop Elias Meniates) - Part 1 of 5

 

Fifth Sunday of Great Lent: Homily on Repentance (Bishop Elias Meniates) - Part 2 of 5

 

Fifth Sunday of Great Lent: Homily on Repentance (Bishop Elias Meniates) - Part 3 of 5

 

Fifth Sunday of Great Lent: Homily on Repentance (Bishop Elias Meniates) - Part 4 of 5

 

Fifth Sunday of Great Lent: Homily on Repentance (Bishop Elias Meniates) - Part 5 of 5

 

Homily One for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily Two for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily on Humility for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent (St. Sergius Mechev) 

 

Homily for the Fifth Sunday Evening of Great Lent (St. Sergius Mechev) 

 

First Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Second Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent (St. Luke of Simferopol)

Third Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Fourth Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Fifth Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Sixth Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Homily on the Passion for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent: On the Need for Prayer Amid Temptations

Sermon for the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt (Met. Anthony of Sourozh)

 

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of the Holy and Great Fast - The Sunday of Saint Mary of Egypt (St. Cleopa of Sihastria) 

 

Homily for the Sunday of Venerable Mary of Egypt (Fr. Daniel Sysoev) 

 

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent - Saint Mary of Egypt (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

 

Fifth Sunday of Great Lent - The Cup (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

"Behold, We Are Going Up To Jerusalem..." 

Saint Mary of Egypt Resource Page

Why Is St. Mary of Egypt Remembered During Lent?

 

Mary of Egypt, the Holy Sinner

 

The Virginity of the Theotokos and the Repentance of Saint Mary of Egypt

Saint Savvas of Kalymnos Resource Page

Great Lent Resource Page

Sixth Week of Great Lent

The Sixth Week of Great Lent

Concerning the Final Week of Great Lent

 

The Week Before Holy Week and our Journey Towards Jerusalem

A Time for Silence

As We Prepare to Consciously Participate in the Passion of Christ

Insights on True Repentance

Repentance, the Fourth Mystery

The Priesthood, Confession and the Remission of Sins

 

I Fasted, But From Virtues (Monday Before Palm Sunday)

 

Melting in Sin (Tuesday Before Palm Sunday)

 

Guide Me To Do Your Will O Lord (Wednesday Before Palm Sunday) 

 

A Supplication That Our Buried Nous Be Revived Like Lazarus (Thursday Before Palm Sunday) 

 

The Soul-Beneficial Period of Great Lent Has Come To An End (Friday Before Palm Sunday) 

 

Homily on the Anthropomorphic Representation of God (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Homily Fifteen on the Passion (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Homily Sixteen on the Passion (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Homily Seventeen on the Passion (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Homily Eighteen on the Passion (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Homily Twenty-Six on the Passion (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Homily Twenty-Seven on the Passion (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Having Completed the Forty Days That Profit Our Souls

Why We Celebrate the Feast of Saint Anthony the Great on January 17th

The Exorcism of a Greek-American Immigrant 

 

A Prayer Written by Elder Ephraim of Arizona from the Friday Before Palm Sunday in 1980 

A Reflection for the End of Great Lent

 

Reflection for the Last Day of Great Lent (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 
Old Testament Readings for Great Lent: Day 26 - Monday

Old Testament Readings for Great Lent: Day 27 - Tuesday

Old Testament Readings for Great Lent: Day 28 - Wednesday

Old Testament Readings for Great Lent: Day 29 - Thursday

Old Testament Readings for Great Lent: Day 30 - Friday