Listen to Ms. Joyanne Rudiak narrate the Life of St. Mary of Egypt:
"This Life of Our Venerable Mother Mary of Egypt was written down in the seventh century by Saint Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, some hundred years after the repose of the holy Mary, who fell asleep in the Lord April 1, 522. It is one of the most beautiful and edifying lives of a saint. Its obvious and stated purpose is to glorify God and to feed the souls of its readers. St. Sophronius lifts up the life of blessed Mary as a most wondrous example of repentance for all the faithful. Indeed, the Church has lifted up this life before all the faithful on the Fifth Sunday of the Great Fast, the Sunday before Palm Sunday. It is both a challenge and an inspiration to us. It shows us what a human being is capable of when she works with the all-powerful saving and forgiving grace of our all-loving God.
This life should not discourage us by the superhuman efforts of glorious Mary; it should instead give us hope and the will to take courage to begin our repentance. As we go along the compunctionate path of repentance, God will give us the strength to go deeper and deeper into our souls, opening our whole life to Him so that He can heal, restore, and glorify it by uniting it to Himself. To Him be the glory for ever. Amen.
Pray to our venerable Mother Mary that she will not forsake us but that she will bear with our weaknesses, even our lack of repentance, and will always stand with us and uphold us with her holy prayers, that she will always intercede for all those who honor her."
--Father John Townsend, Rector
Saint Mary of Egypt
Atlanta, Georgia
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