St. Mary of Egypt: The Most Striking Example of True Repentance
Excerpts from a homily by Elder Ioanichie Bălan
Saint Mary of Egypt’s life is the most striking example of true repentance; it is an icon of a sinful person who by repentance and good deeds enters Paradise before the righteous, as the Savior Himself says: “many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Matthew 19:30). The Church arranged for the life of Saint Mary of Egypt to be read alongside the Great Canon this week of Great Lent so that it may be an exhortation to true repentance and bolster in the hope of salvation for us who sin much.
The Christian who repents focuses only on himself, he does not look at others’ sins, he does not judge anyone, he circumvents argumentative people, he avoids talkative people, he loves silence, he walks on the world’s most isolated paths, he is content with the most humble clothing and the most humble food. He who repents is always quiet, speaks sparingly with others, his gaze is fixed only in front, his ears are deaf to worldly things, and his feet only know the way to church and his workplace. He who repents from his heart has great hope in salvation, tears in prayer, joy in trials, patience in temptations, love for enemies, and zeal for every good work.
Blessed are the Christians who truly repent! Blessed are they who do not walk on two paths, who do not serve two masters! Blessed are they who wear the dark clothing of repentance! Blessed are they who redeem the time of their life through permanent repentance!
And they who know Christ’s law and the path of salvation, but do not follow it, are to be pitied, because they will not escape eternal punishment. Christians who walk on two paths, who want to have two blessings, both here and beyond, are also to be pitied. Such people forgive and then argue again, pray and then blaspheme, fast from food but eat their neighbors’ honor, spend an hour in church and then keep vigil all night in debauchery, give a dollar to the poor and ten for alcohol and cigarettes. They confess out of habit, naming their sins with great disgust and shame, but then they do not change their lives or behavior at all and again return to the Egypt of passions, to the mire of fornication and debauchery.
Woe to those who praise good deeds with their words, but despise them with their way of life! Woe to Christians who honor God with their lips, but defame Him with their heart! Woe to those who do not take care of how they live their life, for at the time of death they will greatly lament: the death of a sinner is terrible (Psalm 33:22).
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Therefore, let us follow St. Mary of Egypt’s example. It is not enough only to come from Egypt to Jerusalem, that is, from the world to the Church, to confession, but especially after confession we must not return to the mire of Egypt, to fleshly desires, to the sins we committed, but go across the Jordan and live the rest of our life there, in the wilderness, in great repentance.
We must then understand that Saint Mary of Egypt embodies the sinful Christian who truly repents. Egypt is the world with all its pleasures and snares. Jerusalem is the Church of Christ, where every Christian washes himself of sin through confession. The Jordan is the border between good and evil deeds, between true and false repentance; it is the border between Christ’s Kingdom and mammon, between the narrow way of salvation and the broad way of perdition. And the Jordan desert is the true homeland of the Christian who follows Christ; the path dried of all human desire and pleasure, the narrow way of repentance, on which each Christian who follows Christ must walk.
Thus, let us have our holy mother Mary of Egypt’s zeal. Let us abandon the path of perdition and repent. Let us leave Egypt and climb up to Jerusalem! There, let us pray to the Lord and show our wounds, confess to Him, and no longer remember the pleasures and food of Egypt, but cross the Jordan into the land of repentance, prayer, patience, tears, and the poverty of Christ. If we do this, it means we have truly repented. If we live like this, we too will see the Lord and have a place in His Kingdom with all the saints of all the ages. Amen!
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Predică la pomenirea Sfintei Maria Egipteanca, în săptămâna a cincea din Postul Mare | Doxologia