Dear brothers and sisters, Lent is a time of abstinence, but above all, a time of knowing the truth about man; it is the path on which the Church, step by step, reveals to us the depth of human fall and the greatness of God's mercy.
At the beginning of Lent, we remembered the Fall — the moment when man turned away from God and lost paradise. Then we heard the parable of the prodigal son — an image of return. And today the Church presents us with something even deeper — not a parable, but real life. The life of a person who has traveled the path from extreme fall to the highest holiness.
The Venerable Mary of Egypt is one of the most powerful figures in the entire Christian tradition. Her life was recorded in the 7th century by Saint Sophronius of Jerusalem and was passed down by the Church as a special testimony to the power of repentance.
She did not just sin - she lived in sin. From her youth she gave herself over to passions and lived like this for seventeen years, guided not by need, but by an internal addiction to sin. And it is here that the Church shows us an important truth of moral theology: sin is not just an act, it is a state that gradually takes possession of a person and begins to govern his life.
But a turning point occurs in Maria's life. Not external, but internal.
When she comes to the church to worship the Cross, an invisible force does not let her inside. And at that moment, for the first time, she sees the reason not in the circumstances, but in herself. This is the beginning of repentance - the moment when a person stops making excuses and begins to see the truth about himself.
In Eastern theology, repentance is understood not as a legal justification, but as a change of one's entire life. (metanoia) — a change of thinking, heart, and direction of existence. It is not just regret for the past, but a turning to God.
Mary makes a vow before the icon of the Virgin Mary and is granted the opportunity to enter the temple. This has a deep theological meaning: a person does not open the door to God on their own - grace opens it for them when they sincerely change.
But true repentance does not end at the moment of conversion. It unfolds over time.
Mary goes into the desert. And here another truth of the spiritual life is revealed: repentance is a struggle. For seventeen years she experiences strong inner suffering, struggles with the memory of sin, with passions, with her past. This shows that sin leaves a mark on a person, and healing requires time, patience and grace.
In the Eastern tradition, this is called ascetic labor—man's cooperation with God's grace in restoring his nature. Man is not saved on his own, but he is not passive either: he responds to God's action with his own efforts.
And gradually Maria changes. Not externally, but internally.
From a woman who was enslaved by passions, she becomes a person who is free from them. From a person who lived only in the flesh, she becomes spiritual. The Holy Fathers say that repentance does not just forgive - it transforms a person, returns to him his true nature.
That is why the Church sets her example at the end of Lent — to show what a person can achieve if they don't stop halfway.
In the light of this example, we begin to look at the modern world differently. Man today often lives as if his life is limited only to the body and the earthly. But according to the teaching of the Church, man is created in the image of God and is called to deification - to unity with God.
When a person breaks away from God, he doesn't just make mistakes—he loses himself. And then sin becomes not an exception, but a way of life.
That is why the consequence of distancing oneself from God is not only a personal crisis, but also the distortion of the entire world. The Holy Fathers say that the repentance of one person brings healing to all creation, because it restores the right relationship between man and God. But along with this truth, the Church gives us another - no less important. There is no sin that would be stronger than God's mercy.
The life of Mary of Egypt is the answer to man's greatest fear: that it is too late, that it is already impossible to change. But her example shows that even the deepest fall is not final if a person turns to God.
The moral theology of the Church emphasizes: the greatest danger is not sin itself, but despair. For despair closes a person off from God, while repentance opens him up.
That is why St. Macarius of Egypt says that people are afraid and lose hope only because they do not know how much God loves them. If this love were revealed to man, he would never fall into despair. God not only forgives - He accepts, restores and transforms.
Therefore, the example of the Reverend Mary is an image of every soul facing a choice: to remain in sin or to begin the path to God.
In these days of Lent, when the world is experiencing pain, when war continues and people are dying, we are especially called to prayer and inner renewal. For true change in the world begins with a change in the human heart.
May the example of the Venerable Mary of Egypt teach us not to be afraid of the truth about ourselves, not to lose hope, and not to stop on the path of repentance.
Through the prayers of our venerable mother Mary of Egypt, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and Your world, and save our souls, for You are good and Lover of mankind.
Amen.
