Saint Ignatios of Antioch Melkite Catholic Church<\/a> in Augusta. \u00a0Father Michael Hull invited me to preach. \u00a0It 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. \u00a0I share my homily for today, which is the Sunday of Saint Mary of Egypt.<\/p>\nAs 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 The words pierced me right to the heart.<\/p>\n
O vos omnes qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte si est dolor sicut dolor meus.<\/p>\n
O you all who walk by on the road, pay attention and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow.<\/p>\n
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The inscription spoke directly to me.\u00a0 Above it was a stone relief of Jesus carrying the cross.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith his own blood he obtained eternal redemption,\u201d we heard in today\u2019s reading.<\/p>\n
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: \u201ccleanse our consciences from dead works and to worship the living God,\u201d in the words of the reading.<\/p>\n
As we approach the holiest of weeks, today we remember Saint Mary of Egypt.\u00a0 She too went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and experienced a profound encounter with Christ.\u00a0 Born in Alexandria in the mid fifth century, as a young girl she was swept up by prostitution.\u00a0 She traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross with bad intentions, she knew there would be many pilgrim customers.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
She understood this as a call to repentance, she needed to change her ways.\u00a0 She was filled with remorse and in front of an icon of the Theotokos, she promised to change her life forever.\u00a0 Only then was she permitted to enter the church, and while venerating the true cross, she heard the voice of the Blessed Mother say, \u201cIf you cross the Jordan, you will find true peace.\u201d\u00a0 On the other side of the Jordan once stood the beautiful Monastery of Saint John the Baptist.\u00a0 Mary traveled there, was baptized, received communion, and remained living in the desert.<\/p>\n
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The life of Saint Mary of Egypt reminds us that in each of us there are certain desires we struggle with.\u00a0 We know what we must do, but we do not do it.\u00a0 We know what we must avoid, yet we find ourselves in the midst of it.\u00a0 There are many desires for worldly pleasures, many which lead us into sin.\u00a0 After her repentance, Mary of Egypt left everything behind to live in the desert totally dependent on God.\u00a0 A powerful encounter with God transformed her and sustained her.\u00a0 Her encounter with the cross of Christ moved her to repentance and allowed her to follow with strength and dignity.<\/p>\n
In today\u2019s Gospel we encounter more pilgrims going to Jerusalem.\u00a0 This time it is Jesus and his apostles.\u00a0 The intentions of James and John for traveling to Jerusalem are as skewed as Mary of Egypt\u2019s intentions.\u00a0 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: \u201cwhoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.\u00a0 For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.\u201d<\/p>\n
An encounter with the cross of Christ transforms them.\u00a0 I am certain they recalled these words after hearing of Jesus\u2019 death.\u00a0 I am certain they remembered them later too: James when he was led to his martyrdom and \u00a0John when he was exiled.<\/p>\n
During this time of Lent we are all on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to encounter the Triune God.\u00a0 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.\u00a0\u00a0 May our hearts be purified as God\u2019s grace fills us and as we come to know Him in a more profound manner.\u00a0 During this time of Lent, the Father invites us to ponder if there is greater sorrow than the sorrow of His Son.\u00a0 The more we meditate on the passion of Christ, the more we will experience the Father\u2019s love for us.\u00a0 The more we experience His love, the more our lives will be transformed.\u00a0 The more we meditate on the passion, the greater our rejoicing will be at the glory of the resurrection.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n
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All pictures are mine, except top one of Mary of Egypt (public domain)<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today I had the opportunity to concelebrate the morning liturgy at Saint Ignatios of Antioch Melkite Catholic Church in Augusta. \u00a0Father Michael Hull invited me to preach. \u00a0It 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":2410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[320,527,225],"class_list":["post-2409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homily","tag-homily","tag-mary-of-egypt","tag-melkite"],"yoast_head":"\n
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