Mary of Egypt, Festal hymnography

Written by Mary of Egypt

Troparion, Tone 8

In thee, O Mother, was exactly preserved that which was according to the divine image. For thou didst take the cross and follow Christ, and by thy life didst teach us to ignore the flesh, since it is transitory, but to care for the soul as an immortal thing. Therefore, thy spirit, O holy Mary, rejoices with the Angels.

Kontakion, Tone 4

Having escaped the fog of sin and having illumined thy heart with the light of penitence, O glorious one, thou didst come to Christ and didst offer to Him His immaculate and holy Mother as a merciful intercessor. Hence thou hast found remission of transgressions, and with the Angels thou ever rejoicest.

Notes

Our Mother St Mary the Egyptian stands as one of the great ascetics of Christendom and a model of the ascetic life for all who would obey Christ's command to leave the ties of the world, take up their cross and follow Him. Hers is a devotion to God of the deepest sort, and a dedication to the attainment of the Kingdom that has served as an inspiration, beakon and support for millions of Christians over the better part of nearly two millennia. This is the holy life, this is the great spiritual impact had by a solitary woman who, by the precious account of her life, was so marred by sin that she could not physically enter into the temple. Yet Christ's forgiveness is absolute, and there is no sinner so far fallen, Mary's life seems to say, that God cannot lift him up into new life. Indeed, the scope and breadth of the gifts given to St Mary in response to her great love for God are mysterious and wonderful, for some even beyond belief. But as St Sophronius, Mary's biographer, wrote, such disbelief arises only when we, 'reflecting on the weakness of human nature, consider impossible the wonderful things accomplished by holy people'.

God does indeed work great and wonderful things through those who love Him, as the life of St Mary of Egypt shows. It is a text that should be read again and again, contemplated deeply, probed for its great message. St Mary herself left no written works, no texts and no treatises; but her story is known throughout the world through the words of this life. It is among the great treasures left to us by the early Church.