The biography of this wonderful saint was written by St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem. A certain Hieromonk, Elder Zosima, once went away during Lent to the Transjordanian desert for twenty days of walking. At one point he saw a human being, withered, naked body, and hair as white as snow, which he was inclined to flee from Zosima's gaze. The elder ran for a long time until the being lay down in a stream and cried out: Abba Zosima, forgive me for the Lord's sake, I cannot address you, for I am a naked woman! Then Zosima threw her his outer garment; she covered herself and appeared to him. The elder was frightened when he heard his name from the mouth of this unknown woman. After much urging, his wife told him her life story. She was born in Egypt, and from the age of twelve she began to live a debauched life in Alexandria, and spent a full 17 years in debauchery. Pursued by the lustful fire of her body, she sat one day on a ship sailing towards Jerusalem. Arriving in the Holy City, she also wanted to enter the church to worship the Holy Cross, but some invisible force held her back and did not allow her to enter. In great fear, she looked at the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in the prison and prayed to Her to allow her to enter and kiss the Holy Cross, confessing her sinfulness and impurity, and promising that she would later go wherever the Holy All-Pure would direct her. Then she was allowed to enter the church. After kissing the cross, she went out into the prison again before the icon and thanked the Mother of God, but at that moment she heard a voice: if you cross the Jordan, you will find good peace! — She immediately bought three loaves of bread and set off for the Jordan, where she arrived that same evening. The next day she received communion at the monastery of St. John and crossed the river. And she lived in the desert for 48 years, in great torment, in fear, in a struggle with passionate thoughts like with wild beasts. She ate greens. After that, when she stood in prayer, Zosima saw her standing raised in the air. She asked him to bring her Communion to the banks of the Jordan next year, and she would come to receive communion. The next year, Zosima came with Communion in the evening to the banks of the Jordan, but he was surprised how the saint would cross the Jordan. In that vision, according to the moonlight, she came to the river, crossed the river, and walked on the water as if on dry land. When she received communion, she asked him to come the next year to the same stream where they had first seen each other. Zosima went and found her body dead in that place, and above her head in the sand was written: Bury, Abba Zosima, in this place the body of the humble Mary, surrender dust to dust, I was reborn on April 1st, on the very night of Christ's saving Passion, after the communion of the Divine Mysteries. From this writing, Zosima first learned her name, and the second and terrible miracle, that last year, on the same night when she received communion, she reached that stream, to which he had had to travel for 20 days. And so Zosima buried the body of the miraculous saint Mary of Egypt. And when he returned to the monastery, he told the whole story of her life and the miracles that he had personally seen from her. Thus the Lord knows how to glorify repentant sinners. St. Mary is also commemorated on the fifth Sunday of Lent. The Church honors her as a model of repentance to the faithful during these fasting days. She died around 530.

Saint Meliton, Bishop of Sardis. Venerable Procopius the Czech. Saint Macarius the Confessor. Easter Lent.