Today I had the opportunity to concelebrate the morning liturgy at Saint Ignatios of Antioch Melkite Catholic Church in Augusta. Father Michael Hull invited me to preach. It was very special, mostly since it was at that church many years ago that I had a deepening awareness of the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I share my homily for today, which is the Sunday of Saint Mary of Egypt.
As one drives or walks through a city, there are so many things to read. Advertisements, billboards, road signs, warnings, inscriptions, posters, historical markers, graffiti, etc. Most of these however do not evoke a deep emotional response, they simply want us to purchase an item, vote for a candidate or stay out of the way.
When I was in Jerusalem in 2006, I read an inscription while walking and praying the Stations of the Cross along the same road that Jesus walked. The words pierced me right to the heart.
O vos omnes qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte si est dolor sicut dolor meus.
O you all who walk by on the road, pay attention and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow.
The inscription spoke directly to me. Above it was a stone relief of Jesus carrying the cross. There I was walking by on the road meditating on the passion of Christ and was invited by the words to meditate more deeply in the redeeming suffering and death of Our Savior.
“With his own blood he obtained eternal redemption,” we heard in today’s reading.
Centuries of animals sacrificed at the temple of Jerusalem, thousands of goats and bulls, were unable to bring about what the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ did: “cleanse our consciences from dead works and to worship the living God,” in the words of the reading.
As we approach the holiest of weeks, today we remember Saint Mary of Egypt. She too went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and experienced a profound encounter with Christ. Born in Alexandria in the mid fifth century, as a young girl she was swept up by prostitution. She traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross with bad intentions, she knew there would be many pilgrim customers. But once there, she decided out of curiosity to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, but an invisible force prevented her from entering it.
She understood this as a call to repentance, she needed to change her ways. She was filled with remorse and in front of an icon of the Theotokos, she promised to change her life forever. Only then was she permitted to enter the church, and while venerating the true cross, she heard the voice of the Blessed Mother say, “If you cross the Jordan, you will find true peace.” On the other side of the Jordan once stood the beautiful Monastery of Saint John the Baptist. Mary traveled there, was baptized, received communion, and remained living in the desert.
The life of Saint Mary of Egypt reminds us that in each of us there are certain desires we struggle with. We know what we must do, but we do not do it. We know what we must avoid, yet we find ourselves in the midst of it. There are many desires for worldly pleasures, many which lead us into sin. After her repentance, Mary of Egypt left everything behind to live in the desert totally dependent on God. A powerful encounter with God transformed her and sustained her. Her encounter with the cross of Christ moved her to repentance and allowed her to follow with strength and dignity.
In today’s Gospel we encounter more pilgrims going to Jerusalem. This time it is Jesus and his apostles. The intentions of James and John for traveling to Jerusalem are as skewed as Mary of Egypt’s intentions. James and John are looking for worldly power as they enter Jerusalem, they want to sit next to Jesus in the kingdom, but Jesus teaches them otherwise: “whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
An encounter with the cross of Christ transforms them. I am certain they recalled these words after hearing of Jesus’ death. I am certain they remembered them later too: James when he was led to his martyrdom and John when he was exiled.
During this time of Lent we are all on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to encounter the Triune God. During this time of pilgrimage we rely on the grace of God to truly repent of our sins and to be filled with the zeal which filled Mary of Egypt and the apostles. May our hearts be purified as God’s grace fills us and as we come to know Him in a more profound manner. During this time of Lent, the Father invites us to ponder if there is greater sorrow than the sorrow of His Son. The more we meditate on the passion of Christ, the more we will experience the Father’s love for us. The more we experience His love, the more our lives will be transformed. The more we meditate on the passion, the greater our rejoicing will be at the glory of the resurrection.
May these last days of Lent be fruitful as we prepare to remember and celebrate during Holy Week the Sacred Mysteries of our redemption, the love of the Father, the suffering and death of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
All pictures are mine, except top one of Mary of Egypt (public domain)
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In