Житие преподобной матери нашей Марии Египетской

It is good to guard the royal secret, but it is glorious to reveal and preach the works of God” (Tov.12:7), - this is what Archangel Raphael said to Tobit when the miraculous healing of his blindness took place. Indeed, not keeping the royal secret is scary and disastrous, and keeping silent about the glorious deeds of God is a great loss for the soul. “And I,” says Saint Sophronius, who wrote the life of the Venerable Mary of Egypt, “I am afraid to conceal Divine deeds in silence and, remembering the impending misfortune of the servant (Matthew 25:18, 25), who buried the talent given from God in the ground, I cannot help but tell the holy story that has reached me. And let no one think,” continues Saint Sophronius, “that I dared to write a lie, when anyone has doubts about this wondrous event: it is not proper for me to lie about something sacred. If there are people who, having read this scripture and are amazed by the glorious event, do not believe, then may the Lord be merciful to them, because, reflecting on the weakness of the human being, they consider those miraculous deeds that are performed with holy people impossible. However, we must already begin the story about the glorious event that happened in our family. In one of the Palestinian monasteries there lived an old man, adorned with piety of life and rationality of speech, and from his early youth labored valiantly in monastic feats. The old man's name was Zosima. (Let no one think that Zosima is a heretic, although they have the same name: one deserved a bad reputation and was alien to the church, the other was righteous and was glorified.) Zosima went through all the degrees of fasting and observed all the rules taught by the greatest monks. While doing all this, he never ceased to learn from Divine words: both when he lay down, and when he got up, and at work, and when he ate food (if one can call something that he ate in very small quantities food), he incessantly and constantly did one thing - he sang Divine hymns and sought teachings in Divine books. Even in infancy, he was sent to a monastery, where he valiantly labored in fasting until he was 53 years old. But then he began to be embarrassed by the thought that he had achieved complete perfection and no longer needed any instructions. “Is there,” he thought, “a monk on earth who can instruct me and show me an example of such fasting as I have not yet undergone? Will there be a man in the desert who surpasses me? When the elder was thinking this way, an Angel appeared to him and said: “Zosima! You labored assiduously, as far as humanly possible, and valiantly completed the feat of fasting. However, there is no person who could say about himself that he has achieved perfection. There are feats unknown to you, and more difficult than those you have completed. To know how many other paths lead to salvation, leave your country, like the most glorious of the patriarchs Abraham (Gen. 12:1), and go to the monastery located by the Jordan River.” Following this instruction, Zosimas left the monastery where he had labored since infancy, went to the Jordan and reached the monastery where the voice of God directed him. Pushing the monastery gates with his hand, Zosima found the monk-gatekeeper and told him about himself. He notified the abbot, who ordered to call the elder who came to him. Zosima came to the abbot and performed the usual monastic bow and prayer. “Where are you from, brother,” the abbot asked him, “and why did you come to us, the poor elders?” – Where I came from, there is no need to talk about it; I came, father, seeking spiritual benefit for myself, since I heard about you many great and praiseworthy things that can lead the soul to God. “Brother,” the abbot said to him, “God alone can heal spiritual infirmities; May He instruct both you and us in His ways for the benefit of the soul, but a person cannot correct a person if he does not constantly delve into himself and vigilantly, with God’s help, does not perform exploits. But since the love of Christ prompted you to visit us, poor elders, then stay with us if you came for this. May the good shepherd, who gave his soul for our salvation, send down the grace of the Holy Spirit on all of us. After such words, Zosima bowed to the abbot, asked for his prayers and blessings, and remained in the monastery. Here he saw the elders, shining with good deeds and piety, with fiery hearts serving the Lord with incessant singing, all-night prayer, and constant work. There were always psalms on their lips, an idle word was never heard, they knew nothing about the acquisition of temporary goods and about everyday worries. They had one constant desire - to mortify their flesh. Their main and constant food was the word of God, and they nourished their bodies with bread and water, as much as their love for God allowed each one. Seeing this, Zosima learned and prepared for the upcoming feat. A lot of time passed, the days of Holy Great Lent arrived, the monastery gates were locked and opened only if someone was sent on monastery business. That area was deserted; The laity not only did not come, but did not even know about this monastery. There was a custom in that monastery, for the sake of which God brought Zosima there. In the first week of Great Lent, during the liturgy, everyone communed with the Most Pure Body and Blood of the Lord and ate a little Lenten food; then everyone gathered in the church, and after diligent, kneeling prayer, the elders said goodbye to each other; and each one with a bow asked the abbot for blessings on the upcoming feat for those traveling. After this, the monastery gates were opened, and with the singing of the psalm “The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom should I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life: whom shall I fear?” (Ps.26:1) the monks went out into the desert and crossed the Jordan River. Only one or two elders remained in the monastery, not to protect the property - there was nothing to steal there - but so as not to leave the church without worship. Each took with him a little food, as much as he could and wanted according to his bodily needs: one a little bread, another - figs, others - dates or wheat soaked in water. Some took nothing with them except the rags on their bodies, and when hunger forced them to do so, they ate herbs growing in the desert. Having crossed the Jordan, everyone dispersed far in different directions and did not know about each other, how anyone fasted and labored. If someone saw that another was coming towards him, he went in the other direction and continued his life alone in constant prayer, eating very little food at certain times. This is how the monks spent the entire Great Lent and returned to the monastery a week before the Resurrection of Christ, when the church with the Vai 2335 solemnly celebrates the Vai holiday. Arriving at the monastery, none of the brethren asked each other how he spent his time in the desert and what he did, having only his conscience as a witness. This was the monastic charter of the Jordan Monastery. Zosima, according to the custom of that monastery, also crossed the Jordan, taking with him, for the sake of bodily weakness, a little food and the clothes that he wore constantly. Wandering through the desert, he performed his feat of prayer and, if possible, abstained from food. He slept little; where night finds him, he falls asleep for a while sitting on the ground, and early in the morning he awakens and continues his feat. He wanted more and more to go deep into the desert and there to find one of the ascetics who could instruct him. After twenty days of travel, he once stopped and, turning to the east, began to sing the sixth hour 2336, performing the usual prayers: during his feat, he paused, sang every hour and prayed. When he sang like this, he saw on the right side what appeared to be the shadow of a human body. Frightened and thinking that this was a demonic obsession, he began to be baptized. When the fear passed and the prayer was finished, he turned to the south and saw a naked man, scorched black by the sun, with white hair like wool that went down only to his neck. Zosima ran in that direction with great joy: in the last days he had not seen not only a person, but also an animal. When this man saw from a distance that Zosima was approaching him, he hastily ran deep into the desert. But Zosima seemed to have forgotten both his old age and fatigue from the journey and rushed to catch up with the fugitive. He hurriedly moved away, but Zosima ran faster, and when he caught up with him enough that they could hear each other, he cried out with tears: - Why are you, a servant of the True God, for whose sake you settled in the desert, running away from me, a sinful old man? Wait for me, unworthy and weak, for hope for reward for your feat! Stop, pray for me and for the sake of the Lord God, Who disdains no one, give me a blessing. So Zosima exclaimed with tears. Meanwhile, they reached a hollow, like the bed of a dry river. The fugitive rushed to the other side, and Zosima, tired and not having the strength to run further, intensified his tearful pleas and stopped. Then the one running away from Zosima finally stopped and said this: – Avva 2337 Zosima! Forgive me for God's sake that I cannot appear before you: I am a woman, as you can see, naked, not covered by anything in my nakedness. But if you want to give me, a sinner, your prayer and blessing, then throw me something from your clothes to cover myself with, and then I will turn to you for prayer. Fear and horror seized Zosima when he heard his name from the lips of one who had never seen him or heard anything about him. “If she had not been perspicacious,” he thought, “she would not have called me by name.” He quickly fulfilled her wish, took off his shabby, torn clothes and, turning away, threw them to her. Taking the clothes, she girded herself and covered her nakedness as much as possible. Then she turned to Zosima with these words: “Why did you, Abba Zosima, want to see me, a sinful wife?” Do you want to hear or learn something from me and therefore are not too lazy to take the difficult path? But Zosima threw himself on the ground and asked her blessing. She also bowed down to the ground, and so they both lay, asking each other for blessings; only one word was heard; “Bless!” After a long time she said to the elder: - Avva Zosima! You must bless and say a prayer, because you have been invested with the rank of priest and have been standing at the holy altar for many years, performing the Divine sacraments. These words plunged the elder into even greater fear. Shedding tears, he told her, barely catching his breath from trepidation: – O spiritual mother! You have approached God by mortifying your bodily infirmities. God's gift manifests itself on you more than on others: you have never seen me, but you call me by name and know my rank as a priest. Therefore, you better bless me for God’s sake and teach me your holy prayer. Touched by the elder’s persistence, she blessed him with these words: – Blessed be God, who desires the salvation of human souls! Zosima answered “Amen”, and both rose from the ground. Then she asked the elder: - Man of God! Why did you want to visit me naked, not adorned with any virtues? But the grace of the Holy Spirit brought you in order, when necessary, to inform me about earthly life. Tell me, father, how do Christians, the king and the saints of the church live now? “Through your holy prayers,” answered Zosima, “God gave the church lasting peace 2338.” But bow down to the prayers of the unworthy old man and pray to the Lord for the whole world and for me, a sinner, so that my wandering through the desert will not be fruitless. “Rather, Abba Zosima,” she said, “as one who has a holy rank, it is appropriate for you to pray for me and for everyone; for this is what you are destined for. But out of duty of obedience I will do your will. With these words she turned to the east; raising her eyes upward and raising her hands, she began to pray, but so quietly that Zosima did not hear or understand the words of the prayer. In trepidation, he stood silently with his head bowed. “I call God to witness,” he said, “that after a while I raised my eyes and saw her rise to an elbow 2339 from the ground; So she stood in the air and prayed.” Seeing this, Zosima trembled with fear, fell to the ground with tears and only said: But then he was confused by the thought whether it was a spirit or a ghost, as if praying to God. But the saint, raising the elder from the ground, said: - Why, Zosima, are you confused by the thought of a ghost, why do you think that I am a spirit performing a prayer? I beg you, blessed father, be convinced that I am a sinner wife, cleansed only by holy baptism; no, I am not a spirit, but earth, dust and ashes, I am flesh that does not think of being a spirit. With these words, she made the sign of the cross on her forehead, eyes, lips, chest and continued: – May God deliver us from the evil one and from his snares, because his battle 2340 is great against us. Hearing such words, the elder fell at her feet and exclaimed with tears: - In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the true God, born of the Virgin, for whose sake you, naked, have thus killed your flesh, I conjure you, do not hide from me, but tell everything about your life, and I will glorify the greatness of God. For God’s sake, tell me everything not to boast, but to give instruction to me, a sinner and unworthy. I believe in my God, for Whom you live, that I went into this desert precisely so that God would glorify your deeds: we are unable to resist the ways of God. If God had not wanted you and your exploits to become known, He would not have revealed you to me and would not have strengthened me for such a long journey through the desert. Zosima convinced her a lot in other words, and she, picking him up, said: - Forgive me, Holy Father, I am ashamed to talk about my shameful life. But you have seen my naked body, so I will bare my soul, and you will know how much shame and disgrace there is in it. I will reveal myself to you, without boasting, as you said: what can I, the chosen vessel of the devil, boast about! But if I start a story about my life, you will run away from me like from a snake; your ears cannot bear the story of my dissipation. However, I will tell you without leaving anything out; I just ask you, when you get to know my life, do not forget to pray for me, so that I may receive some kind of mercy on the Day of Judgment. The elder, with uncontrollable tears, asked her to tell about her life, and she began to talk about herself like this: “I, Holy Father, was born in Egypt, but when I was 12 years old, when my parents were still alive, I rejected their love and went to Alexandria 2341. How I lost my maiden purity and began to uncontrollably, insatiably indulge in fornication - I cannot even think about this without shame, let alone talk at length; I will only say briefly so that you know about my uncontrollable lust. For seventeen years, and even more, I committed fornication with everyone, not for the sake of a gift or payment, since I did not want to take anything from anyone, but I reasoned that more would come to me for free and satisfy my lust. Don’t think that I was rich and that’s why I didn’t take it - no, I lived in poverty, often spinning cereal hungry, but I was always obsessed with the desire to wallow even more in the mire of fornication: I saw life in constant dishonor. One day, during the harvest, I saw that many men - both Egyptians and Libyans 2342 - were going to the sea. I asked someone I met, where are these people rushing? He replied that they were going to Jerusalem for the upcoming feast of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross. When I asked if they would take me with them, he said that if I had money and food, then no one would interfere. I told him: “No, brother, I have neither money nor food, but still I will go and board the same ship with them, and they will feed me: I will give them my body for payment.” “I wanted to go so that—forgive me, my father—there were many people around me who were ready for lust.” I told you, Father Zosima, not to force me to talk about my shame. God knows, I am afraid that with my words I defile the very air.” Watering the earth with tears, Zosima exclaimed: - Speak, my mother, speak! Continue your instructive tale! “The young man I met,” she continued, “heard my shameless speech, laughed and walked away. And I, throwing away the whorl that had happened to me, hurried to the sea. Looking around at the travelers, I noticed about ten or more of them standing on the shore; they were young and seemed to suit my lust. Others had already entered the ship. Shamelessly, as usual, I ran up to those standing and said: “Take me with you, I will please you.” They laughed at these and similar words, and seeing my shamelessness, they took me onto the ship with them, and we sailed. How can you, a man of God, say what happened next? What language, what kind of hearing will bear the story of the shameful deeds I committed on the ship during the journey: I lured them into sin even against their will, and there were no shameful deeds, no matter what I taught. Believe me, father, I am horrified that the sea endured such depravity, that the earth did not open up and plunge me alive into hell after the corruption of so many people! But I think that God was waiting for my repentance, not desiring the death of the sinner, but patiently awaiting conversion. With such feelings I arrived in Jerusalem and all the days before the holiday I acted as before, and even worse. Not only was I not content with the young men who were with me on the ship, but I also gathered local residents and strangers for fornication. Finally, the holiday of the Exaltation of the Venerable Cross arrived, and I, as before, went to seduce the young men. Seeing that early in the morning everyone, one after another, was going to church, I also went, entered the vestibule with everyone and, when the hour of the Holy Exaltation of the Precious Cross of the Lord arrived, I tried to enter the church with the people. No matter how hard I tried to push through, the people kept me away. Finally, with great difficulty, I, the damned one, approached the church doors. But everyone entered the church without any restrictions, but some Divine power did not allow me. I tried to enter again, and was again pushed away, left alone in the vestibule. Thinking that this was due to my feminine weakness, I intervened in the new crowd, but my efforts were in vain; my sinful foot had already touched the threshold, the church accepted everyone without restriction, it did not allow me alone, the accursed one; as if a numerous, military guard had been deliberately assigned, an unknown force was delaying me - and now I again found myself in the vestibule. So three or four times I strained my strength, but had no success. From exhaustion I could no longer interfere with the crowd entering; my whole body ached from the crowding and crush. Desperate, I retreated with shame and stood in the corner of the porch. When I woke up, I thought about what guilt prevents me from seeing the Life-Giving Tree of the Cross of the Lord. The light of saving reason, the truth of God, illuminating the eyes of my soul, touched my heart and indicated that the abomination of my deeds forbade me to enter the church. Then I began to cry bitterly, beat my chest with sobs and sigh from the depths of my heart. So I cried, standing in the vestibule. Raising my eyes, I saw an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on the wall and, turning my bodily and spiritual eyes to it, I exclaimed: – O Lady, Virgin, who gave birth to God in the flesh! I know, I deeply know that there is no honor or praise to You when I, unclean and filthy, look at Your Ever-Virgin face, pure in body and soul. It is righteous that Your virgin purity should be despised and you should hate me, the harlot. But I heard that the God you gave birth to became incarnate for this purpose, to call sinners to repentance. Come to me, abandoned by everyone, to help! Commanded that I should not be prohibited from entering the church, let me see the Honest Tree, on which the one born of You was crucified in the flesh, shedding His holy blood for the deliverance of sinners and for mine. Command, Lady, that the doors of the church be opened for me, unworthy, to worship the Divine Cross! Be my faithful guarantor before Your Son, that I will no longer defile my body with the uncleanness of fornication, but, having looked at the Tree of the Cross, I will renounce the world and its temptations and go where You, the guarantor of my salvation, will lead me. That's what I said. Encouraged by faith and convinced of the mercy of the Mother of God, I, as if prompted by someone, moved from the place where I was praying and mingled with the crowd entering the church. Now no one pushed me away or stopped me from reaching the church doors. Fear and horror attacked me, I was trembling all over. Having reached the doors that had previously been closed to me, I easily entered the holy church and was honored to see the Life-Giving Tree, comprehended the mysteries of God, and realized that God will not reject the repentant. Falling to the ground, I bowed to the Holy Cross and kissed it with trepidation. Then I left the church to the image of my guarantor - the Mother of God and, kneeling before Her holy icon, prayed like this: – O Ever-Blessed Virgin, Lady Theotokos, without disdaining my prayer, You showed me Your great love for mankind. I saw the glory of the Lord, prodigal and unworthy to see it! Glory to God, who accepts the repentance of sinners for Your sake! That's all I, a sinner, can think and say in words. Now, Lady, it is time to fulfill what I promised, calling You as my guarantor: instruct me how Your will will be done, and teach me how to complete salvation on the path of repentance. After these words, I heard a voice, as if from afar: “If you cross the Jordan, you will find complete peace of mind.” Having listened to these words with faith that they were addressed to me, I exclaimed with tears, looking at the icon 2343 of the Mother of God: - Lady, Lady Mother of God, do not leave me! With these words, I left the church vestibule and quickly walked forward. On the road, someone gave me three coins with the words: I accepted the coins, bought three loaves of bread and asked the seller where the way to the Jordan was. Having found out which gate led in that direction, I quickly went, shedding tears. So I spent the whole day on the road, asking directions from people I met, and by the third hour of that day, when I was privileged to see the Holy Cross of Christ, already at sunset, I reached the Church of St. John the Baptist by the Jordan River. After praying in the church, I went down to the Jordan and washed my hands and face with the water of this holy river. Returning to church, I received communion of the Most Pure and Life-Giving Mysteries of Christ. Then I ate half of one loaf of bread, drank water from the Jordan and fell asleep on the ground. Early in the morning, having found a small boat, I crossed to the other side and again turned to my leader, the Mother of God, with a prayer, as it would please her to instruct me. So I withdrew into the desert, where I have been wandering to this day, waiting for the salvation that God will give me from mental and physical suffering.” - How many years, madam, have passed since you settled in this desert? “I think,” she answered, “47 years have passed since I left the holy city.” “What,” asked Zosima, “do you find food for yourself?” “Having crossed the Jordan,” said the saint, “I had two and a half loaves; They gradually dried out, as if they had turned to stone, and I ate them little by little for several years. - How could you live safely for so long without any temptation bothering you? “I’m afraid to answer your question, Father Zosima: when I remember the troubles that I suffered from the thoughts that tormented me, I’m afraid that they will take possession of me again.” “Nothing, madam,” said Zosima, “don’t leave it out in your story, that’s why I asked you, to know all the details of your life.” - Believe me, Father Zosima, that I lived for 17 years in this desert, fighting my crazy passions, like fierce beasts. 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 I mentally stood before the icon of my guarantor, the Most Pure Mother of God, and with tears begged to drive away from me the thoughts that were troubling my soul. I cried for a long time, hitting myself hard on the chest, and finally, as if light was spreading around me, and I calmed down from my worries. How can I confess, father, to the lustful lusts that have taken possession of me? Sorry, father. The fire of passion ignited in me and scorched me, compelling me to lust. When such a temptation came over me, I threw myself to the ground and shed tears, imagining that my guarantor herself was standing in front of me, condemning my crime and threatening me with severe torment for it. Thrown to the ground, I did not get up day and night until that light illuminated me and drove away the thoughts that troubled me. Then I raised my eyes to my guarantor, fervently asking for help for my suffering in the desert - and indeed, She gave me help and guidance in repentance. So I spent 17 years in constant torment. And after, and until now, the Mother of God is my helper and leader in everything. “Didn’t you need food and clothing?” – Having finished bread, seventeen years later, I ate plants; the clothes that I was wearing when crossing the Jordan decayed from decay, and I suffered a lot, exhausted from the heat in the summer, shaking from the cold in the winter; so many times I fell to the ground as if lifeless and lay there for a long time, enduring numerous physical and mental hardships. But from that time until today, the power of God has transformed my sinful soul and my humble body in everything, and I only remember my previous hardships, finding inexhaustible food for myself in the hope of salvation: I feed and cover myself with the omnipotent word of God, for those who do not have shelter have clothed themselves in stones, since they have taken off the garment of sin (cf.: Glorious Job 24:8; Hebrews 11:38). Hearing that the saint recalled the words of the Holy Scriptures from Moses, the prophets and the Psalter, Zosima asked if she had studied the psalms and other books. “Don’t think,” she answered with a smile, “that since I crossed the Jordan I have seen any person except you: I have not even seen a single beast or animal.” And I have never learned from books, I have never heard reading or singing from anyone’s lips, but the word of God everywhere and always enlightens the mind and penetrates even to me, unknown to the world. But I conjure you by the embodiment of the Word of God: pray for me, the harlot. That's what she said. The elder threw himself at her feet with tears and exclaimed: – Blessed be God, who does great and terrible, wondrous and glorious deeds, of which there is no number! Blessed be God, who has shown me how He rewards those who fear Him! Truly, You, Lord, do not abandon those who strive for You! The saint did not allow the elder to bow to her and said: “I adjure you, holy father, by Jesus Christ, God our Savior, do not tell anyone what you heard from me until God takes me from the earth, and now go in peace; in a year you will see me again, if the grace of God preserves us. But for the sake of God, do what I ask of you: during the fast next year, do not cross the Jordan, as you usually do in the monastery. Zosima was amazed that she was talking about the monastery rules, and could not say anything except: – Glory to God, who rewards those who love Him! “So you, holy father,” she continued, “stay in the monastery, as I tell you, because it will be impossible for you to leave even if you want; On Holy and Great Thursday, the day of Christ’s secret supper, take the appropriate holy vessel of the life-giving Body and Blood, bring it to the secular village on the other side of the Jordan and wait for me to receive communion of the Life-giving Gifts: after all, since I received communion before crossing the Jordan in the Church of John the Baptist, until this day, I have not tasted the holy Gifts. Now I strive for this with all my heart, and you do not abandon my prayer, but be sure to bring me the Life-giving and Divine Mysteries at that hour when the Lord made His disciples participants in His Divine Supper. Say to John, the abbot of the monastery where you live: look after yourself and your brethren, you need to improve in many ways, but say this not now, but when God instructs you. After these words, she again asked the elder to pray for her and went deep into the desert. Zosima, having bowed to the ground and kissed the place where her feet stood for the glory of God, went back, praising and blessing Christ our God. Having passed through the desert, he reached the monastery on the day when the brothers who lived there usually returned. He kept silent about what he saw, not daring to tell, but in his soul he prayed to God to give him another chance to see the dear face of the ascetic. With sorrow, he thought how long the year lasted and wanted this time to flash by like one day. When the first week of Great Lent arrived, all the brethren, according to the custom and rules of the monastery, prayed and sang, and went out into the desert. Only Zosima, who suffered from a serious illness, was forced to stay in the monastery. Then he remembered the words of the saint: “It will be impossible for you to leave even if you want to!” Having soon recovered from his illness, Zosima remained in the monastery. When the brethren returned and the day of the Last Supper approached, the elder did everything indicated to him: he placed the Most Pure Body and Blood of Christ our God in a small cup, and then, taking into a basket several dried figs and dates and some wheat soaked in water, late in the evening he left the monastery and sat down on the bank of the Jordan, awaiting the arrival of the saint. The saint did not come for a long time, but Zosima, without closing his eyes, tirelessly peered towards the desert, expecting to see what he wanted so much. “Perhaps,” the elder thought, “I am not worthy for her to come to me, or she has already come before and, not finding me, returned back.” From such thoughts he shed a tear, sighed and, raising his eyes to heaven, began to pray: “Do not deprive me, Master, of seeing again the face that you have made me worthy to see! Don’t let me leave here unsettled, under the burden of sins that expose me!” Then another thought came to his mind: “If she approaches the Jordan, but there is no boat, how will she cross and come to me, the unworthy? Alas for me, a sinner, alas! Who deprived me of the happiness of seeing her? This is what the elder thought, and the saint had already approached the river. Seeing her, Zosima stood up with joy and thanked God. He was still tormented by the thought that she could not cross the Jordan, when he saw that the saint, illuminated by the brilliance of the moon, crossed the river with the sign of the cross, descended from the bank onto the water and walked towards him on the water as if on solid ground. Seeing this, the surprised Zosima wanted to bow to her, but the saint, still walking on the water, resisted this and exclaimed: “What are you doing? After all, you are a priest and you carry the Divine Secrets!” The elder obeyed her words, and the saint, coming ashore, asked him for a blessing. Overwhelmed by horror from the wondrous vision, he exclaimed: “Truly God fulfills His promise to liken those who are saved to Himself to the best of their ability! Glory to Thee, Christ our God, who showed me through His servant how far I am from perfection!” Then the saint asked to read the Creed and the Lord's Prayer. At the end of the prayer, she received communion of the Most Pure and Life-Giving Mysteries of Christ and, according to monastic custom, kissed the elder, after which she sighed and exclaimed with tears: – Now, O Master, you let Your servant go in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation (Luke 2:29-30). Then, turning to Zosima, the saint said: “I beg you, father, do not refuse to fulfill one more wish of mine: now go to your monastery, and next year come to the same stream where you talked with me before; come for God’s sake and you will see me again: that’s what God wants. “If it were possible,” the holy elder answered her, “I would like to always follow you and see your bright face.” But I ask you, fulfill my wish, the elder: taste a little of the food I brought. Then he showed what he had brought in the basket. The saint touched the wheat with her fingertips, took three grains and, bringing them to her lips, said: - This is enough: the grace of spiritual food, which keeps the soul undefiled, will satisfy me. Again, I ask you, holy father, pray to the Lord for me, remembering my damnation. The elder bowed to her to the ground and asked her prayers for the church, for the kings and for himself. After this tearful request, he said goodbye to her with sobs, not daring to hold her any longer. Even if he wanted to, he had no power to stop her. The saint again made the sign of the cross over the Jordan and, as before, crossed the river like dry land. And the elder returned to the monastery, excited with both joy and fear; he reproached himself for not recognizing the name of the saint, but hoped to find out next year. Another year has passed. Zosima again went into the desert, fulfilling the monastic custom, and headed to the place where he had a wondrous vision. He walked the entire desert, recognized the place he was looking for by some signs, and began to carefully peer around, like an experienced hunter looking for rich prey. However, he did not see anyone approaching him. Shedding tears, he raised his eyes to heaven and began to pray: “Lord, show me Your treasure, not stolen by anyone, hidden by You in the desert, show me the holy righteous woman, this Angel in the flesh, with whom the whole world is not worthy to compare!” Saying such a prayer, the elder reached the place where the stream flowed and, standing on the bank, he saw the saint lying dead to the east; her hands were folded, as befits those lying in a coffin, her face was turned to the east. He quickly approached her and, falling at her feet, reverently kissed them and watered them with his tears. He cried for a long time; then, having read the psalms and prayers laid out for the burial, he began to think whether it was possible to bury the saint’s body, whether it would please her. Then he saw the following inscription on the ground near the head of the blessed one: “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 pharmafii, in Roman April, on the first day, on the night of the saving Passion of Christ, after communion of the Divine Mysteries 2344." Having read the inscription, the elder first of all thought about who could have drawn it: the saint, as she herself said, did not know how to write. But he was very happy that he learned the name of the saint. In addition, he learned that the saint, having received communion on the banks of the Jordan, in one hour reached the place of her death, where he had gone after twenty days of difficult travel, and immediately gave up her soul to God. “Now,” Zosima thought, “we must fulfill the saint’s command, but how can I, a cursed one, dig a hole without any tools in my hands?” Then he saw a tree branch thrown near him in the desert, took it and began to dig. However, the dry earth did not yield to the elder’s efforts; he was sweating, but could not do anything. He sighed bitterly from the depths of his soul. Suddenly, looking up, he saw a huge lion standing by the body of the saint and licking her feet. The elder was horrified at the sight of the beast, especially since he remembered the words of the saint that she had never seen animals. He marked himself with the sign of the cross, confident that the power of the deceased saint would protect him. The lion began to quietly approach the old man, looking at him tenderly, as if with love. Then Zosima said to the beast: “The great ascetic ordered me to bury her body, but I am old and cannot dig graves; I don’t even have a tool for digging, and the monastery is far away, I can’t quickly bring it from there. Dig a grave with your claws, and I will bury the body of the saint.” The lion seemed to understand these words and with his front paws dug a hole large enough for burial. The elder again wet the saint’s feet with his tears, asking for her prayers for the whole world, and covered her body with earth. The saint was almost naked - the old, tattered clothes that Zosima threw to her at the first meeting barely covered her body. Then both departed: the lion, quiet as a lamb, deep into the desert, and Zosima - to his monastery, blessing and glorifying Christ our God. Arriving at the monastery, he, without hiding anything that he saw and heard, told all the monks about the Venerable Mary. Everyone was amazed at the greatness of God and decided with fear, faith and love to honor the memory of the saint and celebrate the day of her repose. Hegumen John, as the Venerable Maria reported to Abba Zosima, found some problems in the monastery and eliminated them with God’s help. And Saint Zosima, after a long life of almost a hundred years, ended his earthly existence and passed on to eternal life, to God 2345. The monks of that monastery orally passed on his story about the Venerable Mary for general teaching to one another, but did not set out in writing about the deeds of the saint. And I,” adds Saint Sophronius, “having heard the story, wrote it down. I don’t know, maybe someone else, better informed, has already written the life of the saint, but I, as far as I could, wrote down everything, setting out one truth. God, who works wondrous miracles and generously rewards those who turn to Him with faith, reward those who seek instruction in this story, listen, read and diligently write it down, and may He give them the fate of blessed Mary along with everyone who has ever pleased God with their pious thoughts and works.” Let us also give glory to God, the eternal King, and may He give us His mercy on the Day of Judgment for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord, to Whom belongs all glory, honor, power and worship with the Father and the Most Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and always and to all ages. Amen 2346. In you, mother, it is known that you were saved, even in the image, having accepted the cross, you followed Christ and, in action, you taught to despise the flesh, which passes away, but to adhere to the souls of things more immortal. In the same way, O Reverend Mary, your spirit will rejoice with the Angels. Having escaped the darkness of sin, having illuminated your glorious heart with the light of repentance, you came to Christ, and brought this merciful and merciful Prayer Book to the All-Immaculate and Holy Mother. You have found forgiveness from your sins and sins, and you will rejoice with the Angels forever. Vaia - palm branches (John 12:13, Mark 11:8) Week Vaia - otherwise flower-bearing or colorful - Palm Sunday. The Hours are the name given to prayers consisting of three psalms, several verses and prayers, adapted to each quarter of the day and to the special circumstances of the Savior’s suffering. – At the sixth hour, we remember the Savior’s procession to the crucifixion, the crucifixion itself, and the sufferings of the cross. This was at the beginning of the 6th century, when persecution had already ceased and heresies had subsided, and the Christian Church enjoyed peace and tranquility. Elbow or lap is a measure of length from the elbow to the end of the middle finger, equal to 10 1/2 inches. Scolding - attack, intrigue. Alexandria is a famous city founded by Alexander the Great on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, at the mouth of the Nile River. Alexandria after Rome was the first city in the world and served as a center of trade, industry and especially pagan education, and in the first centuries of Christianity - a hotbed of Christian enlightenment. Currently, Alexandria is one of the most fortified port cities and the most important trading points on the Mediterranean Sea. Libyans are the inhabitants of Libya, a province in North Africa. This icon, according to the Russian chronicles, was subsequently transferred to the Church of Sophia in Constantinople. The Venerable Mary died in 522. The Monk Zosima reposed in the first half of the 6th century. His memory is celebrated on April 4 The Holy Orthodox Church established the commemoration of the life of the Venerable Mary of Egypt during Great Lent. On Thursday of the fifth week of Great Lent, at Matins, the entire penitential Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete and 18 troparions of this canon are addressed to the Venerable Mary (St. Mary’s Station). You might be interested in: