But all that is theoretical. Repentance should be like a heavenly seed that is planted in the flowerpot of our souls, which we should water with our tears, and from that seed, a fruit-bearing tree should sprout. That’s what St. John the Forerunner, that great preacher of repentance, says: Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance [Mat. 3:8].
So, in order that our repentance not be theoretical, but become a practice and a way of life, I will present, as an example of genuine repentance, the person who we celebrate today on this 5th Sunday of Lent, St. Mary of Egypt.
She lived, my beloved, during the years of Justinian (527-565A.D.). Just as there are real flowers and plastic flowers, or genuine currency and counterfeit coins, in the same way there is genuine repentance and false repentance. Two apostles sinned greatly against the Lord - Judas betrayed Him and Peter denied Him. Both of them repented, but only Peter’s repentance was genuine. St. Mary of Egypt also had this same genuine repentance - she turned to Christ after the life of debauchery which she had slipped into as a young girl, 12 years old. You can understand what responsibility parents have for their children!...
St. Mary of Egypt lived a sinful life for 17 years. Was she content? Of course not. There were moments when she was disgusted with herself. And God, who discerns not only the external person but rceives into the depths of our hearts, helped her to find the haven of salvation. How?
One day on the shore of Alexandria she saw a boat ready to sail to the Holy Land, and this gave birth to her desire to go as well. And truly, she went. But when she reached there, she couldn’t enter the church to venerate the holy Cross. Then, for the first time, she came to her senses. She withdrew into a corner and with tears pleaded with the Panaghia, “Mother of Christ, I make you my guarantor, I beseech
you to intercede to your Son to make me, the sinner, worthy of venerating the holy Cross, and I promise you that I will change my way of life.” She tried again, and lo the miracle, she entered! She venerated the Cross and remained in the vigil pleading with God to forgive her. Then she heard a voice say to her, “If you cross the Jordan River, you will find rest.” She went outside and started to walk. She reached the Jordan River, where she stopped at a monastery named for St. John the Forerunner, asked for a spiritual father, had confession and then crossed the River. It was summer. She kneeled under the clear-blue sky, prayed, and began her great spiritual labours.
In the desert there are less temptations, but they don’t disappear altogether. Wherever a person goes, they carry their sins with them, like a turtle with its shell. And sin is 99% fantasy and 1% revulsion. Today’s psychologists say that, but the Church has said it earlier, e.g. in the Evening Prayers: And grant us O Lord...sleep light and free from all satanic fantasies.
Fantasy is the devil’s greatest weapon. The devil is an artist and with the secret cinema of fantasy he portrays riches, enjoyments, debauchery, lovers, orgies... These are the things that lure us into defilement, as mentioned in the Hymns of Ascent.
St. Mary of Egypt struggled against these fantasies and was victorious over them. How? With fasting, prayer, faith in God’s mercy and with humility. After 17 years, the carnal temptation withdrew. This is comforting, especially for young people who have a similar struggle and thousands of hands pushing them towards sin.
After that, she lived in the desert for another 30 years. Everyone had forgotten about her and she would have remained unknown to the world, but St. Zosimas discovered her. Of course the enemy bothered
him too, but with another temptation: that of pride. “You are the most saintly person,” it whispered to him. But then he heard a voice saying, “You are wrong, there is someone more saintly than you.”
That’s how he went out searching in the desert. He saw a shadow, like a phantom, and was frightened. He made the sign of the cross, but the phantom didn’t leave. He then understood that it wasn’t the devil, and when he approached, the phantom revealed itself to be a woman. She confessed her life to him, her sinfulness. She told him, “My words pollute the air, I am amazed that the earth hasn’t opened up to swallow me. I ask only one thing: that on this same day next year, you bring me Holy Communion.”
And truly, the following year, Zosimas didn’t forget. He again went into the desert, carrying the Holy Communion with him, but he couldn’t cross the Jordan River. Then he saw St. Mary of Egypt on the other side. He saw her kneel in prayer and then do something amazing: she became elevated above the ground and flew over the Jordan River! She communed the Holy Mysteries with deep piety and pleaded with Zosimas to come again the following year.
However, after a year when Zosimas returned, he found her dead and next to her, written in the sand: “Zosimas, bury the body of sinful Mary.” But how could he bury her? And then another miracle occurred. A lion approached and became a gravedigger, digging a grave with his claws.
All these things seem unbelievable - they are only possible to occur with faith. God is wondrous in His saints [Ps. 67/(68): 36]. And that’s how a black crow became a white dove.
St. Mary of Egypt, my beloved, offers us three lessons.
The first lesson is for the women. A woman who lives far from God is in tatters, but when she approaches Christ, she becomes a diamond.
The second lesson is for those who criticize. To those of us who criticize, the example of St. Mary of Egypt shows us that even in the most sinful soul, a spark exists, and that person might be saved, while those who criticize could go to hell. We should know that we are all at fault, and firstly our mother, the Church, for those troubled creatures, the prostitutes.
The third lesson is for all of us. St. Mary of Egypt is an example of eternal repentance. Having her as an example, we have no excuse. God will not condemn us because we sin, He will condemn us because we don’t repent. It is human to sin, but not to repent is satanic. Only one person can’t repent: Satan.
you to intercede to your Son to make me, the sinner, worthy of venerating the holy Cross, and I promise you that I will change my way of life.” She tried again, and lo the miracle, she entered! She venerated the Cross and remained in the vigil pleading with God to forgive her. Then she heard a voice say to her, “If you cross the Jordan River, you will find rest.” She went outside and started to walk. She reached the Jordan River, where she stopped at a monastery named for St. John the Forerunner, asked for a spiritual father, had confession and then crossed the River. It was summer. She kneeled under the clear-blue sky, prayed, and began her great spiritual labours.
In the desert there are less temptations, but they don’t disappear altogether. Wherever a person goes, they carry their sins with them, like a turtle with its shell. And sin is 99% fantasy and 1% revulsion. Today’s psychologists say that, but the Church has said it earlier, e.g. in the Evening Prayers: And grant us O Lord...sleep light and free from all satanic fantasies.
Fantasy is the devil’s greatest weapon. The devil is an artist and with the secret cinema of fantasy he portrays riches, enjoyments, debauchery, lovers, orgies... These are the things that lure us into defilement, as mentioned in the Hymns of Ascent.
St. Mary of Egypt struggled against these fantasies and was victorious over them. How? With fasting, prayer, faith in God’s mercy and with humility. After 17 years, the carnal temptation withdrew. This is comforting, especially for young people who have a similar struggle and thousands of hands pushing them towards sin.
After that, she lived in the desert for another 30 years. Everyone had forgotten about her and she would have remained unknown to the world, but St. Zosimas discovered her. Of course the enemy bothered
him too, but with another temptation: that of pride. “You are the most saintly person,” it whispered to him. But then he heard a voice saying, “You are wrong, there is someone more saintly than you.”
That’s how he went out searching in the desert. He saw a shadow, like a phantom, and was frightened. He made the sign of the cross, but the phantom didn’t leave. He then understood that it wasn’t the devil, and when he approached, the phantom revealed itself to be a woman. She confessed her life to him, her sinfulness. She told him, “My words pollute the air, I am amazed that the earth hasn’t opened up to swallow me. I ask only one thing: that on this same day next year, you bring me Holy Communion.”
And truly, the following year, Zosimas didn’t forget. He again went into the desert, carrying the Holy Communion with him, but he couldn’t cross the Jordan River. Then he saw St. Mary of Egypt on the other side. He saw her kneel in prayer and then do something amazing: she became elevated above the ground and flew over the Jordan River! She communed the Holy Mysteries with deep piety and pleaded with Zosimas to come again the following year.
However, after a year when Zosimas returned, he found her dead and next to her, written in the sand: “Zosimas, bury the body of sinful Mary.” But how could he bury her? And then another miracle occurred. A lion approached and became a gravedigger, digging a grave with his claws.
All these things seem unbelievable - they are only possible to occur with faith. God is wondrous in His saints [Ps. 67/(68): 36]. And that’s how a black crow became a white dove.
St. Mary of Egypt, my beloved, offers us three lessons.
The first lesson is for the women. A woman who lives far from God is in tatters, but when she approaches Christ, she becomes a diamond.
The second lesson is for those who criticize. To those of us who criticize, the example of St. Mary of Egypt shows us that even in the most sinful soul, a spark exists, and that person might be saved, while those who criticize could go to hell. We should know that we are all at fault, and firstly our mother, the Church, for those troubled creatures, the prostitutes.
The third lesson is for all of us. St. Mary of Egypt is an example of eternal repentance. Having her as an example, we have no excuse. God will not condemn us because we sin, He will condemn us because we don’t repent. It is human to sin, but not to repent is satanic. Only one person can’t repent: Satan.
Today, there is no repentance. I don’t listen to confessions, I am unworthy. I asked a spiritual father and he told me: there is no repentance.
So, my brethren, now that these holy days are approaching, let us examine ourselves. Have we truly repented? Don’t let this opportunity be lost. What is the benefit of listening to sermons if we don’t repent? From the king to the last citizen, we all have need of repentance. If we don’t repent, we will pay for our sins with interest, because the devil is the greatest loan-shark: he gives you one [small
sinful enjoyment], so he can get a hundred back [your soul].
We have a need to repent. A new generation of idealistic youth is growing up. Of these, some will become priests: there will be new Jonahs’, new Jeremiahs’, new Kosmas’1 and they should have the boldness to preach repentance everywhere, because if our country has need of one thing, it is repentance. Pray that I also repent.
Repentance has stages, it increases and progresses. St. Anthony the Great said: plead God to grant me repentance. It is a heavenly gift. St. Theodore the Studite calls it “God-given,” a gift from God. If the Holy Spirit doesn’t descend, there is no repentance. The Pharisees didn’t repent, despite everything they saw. Christ was crucified in front of them, Golgotha was shaken by an earthquake, the graves were opened, the sun was darkened, and although even the rocks were shaken, the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees remained as hard as granite.
We should plead that repentance is given to all of us, clergy and laity. Give me one tear of St. Mary of Egypt’s and I don’t want anything else. May God grant repentance to our nation, may we pass through the Jordan River of tears.
It is not enough for someone to go to the Jordan River and get baptized there. The Jordan River is close to us. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean [Is. 1:16]. Be cleansed, be washed, become saintly. When our hearts are cleansed through tears, then we will celebrate Pascha better. Pascha is not about celebratory excursions and travels, but about tears of repentance.
If there is anyone who remains unrepentant, let him go to confession on Mt. Athos and then Paradise will be planted in his heart. These aren’t just words - our religion is alive, very much alive. When we acquire a clean heart, then my wish is for all of us, that on the night of the Resurrection, holding bright candles, God will grant us to chant together with the priests: Angels in the Heavens, O Christ our Saviour, praise Thy Resurrection with hymns; deem us also who are on earth worthy to glorify Thee with a pure heart [Plagal of the 2nd Tone, Aposticha].
(†) Bishop Augoustinos
So, my brethren, now that these holy days are approaching, let us examine ourselves. Have we truly repented? Don’t let this opportunity be lost. What is the benefit of listening to sermons if we don’t repent? From the king to the last citizen, we all have need of repentance. If we don’t repent, we will pay for our sins with interest, because the devil is the greatest loan-shark: he gives you one [small
sinful enjoyment], so he can get a hundred back [your soul].
We have a need to repent. A new generation of idealistic youth is growing up. Of these, some will become priests: there will be new Jonahs’, new Jeremiahs’, new Kosmas’1 and they should have the boldness to preach repentance everywhere, because if our country has need of one thing, it is repentance. Pray that I also repent.
Repentance has stages, it increases and progresses. St. Anthony the Great said: plead God to grant me repentance. It is a heavenly gift. St. Theodore the Studite calls it “God-given,” a gift from God. If the Holy Spirit doesn’t descend, there is no repentance. The Pharisees didn’t repent, despite everything they saw. Christ was crucified in front of them, Golgotha was shaken by an earthquake, the graves were opened, the sun was darkened, and although even the rocks were shaken, the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees remained as hard as granite.
We should plead that repentance is given to all of us, clergy and laity. Give me one tear of St. Mary of Egypt’s and I don’t want anything else. May God grant repentance to our nation, may we pass through the Jordan River of tears.
It is not enough for someone to go to the Jordan River and get baptized there. The Jordan River is close to us. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean [Is. 1:16]. Be cleansed, be washed, become saintly. When our hearts are cleansed through tears, then we will celebrate Pascha better. Pascha is not about celebratory excursions and travels, but about tears of repentance.
If there is anyone who remains unrepentant, let him go to confession on Mt. Athos and then Paradise will be planted in his heart. These aren’t just words - our religion is alive, very much alive. When we acquire a clean heart, then my wish is for all of us, that on the night of the Resurrection, holding bright candles, God will grant us to chant together with the priests: Angels in the Heavens, O Christ our Saviour, praise Thy Resurrection with hymns; deem us also who are on earth worthy to glorify Thee with a pure heart [Plagal of the 2nd Tone, Aposticha].
(†) Bishop Augoustinos
2
1.The prophets Jonah and Jeremiah preached repentance, as did St. Kosmas the Aitolian.
A Transcribed sermon, which was given at the Church of St. Panteleimon, Florina Greece on the morning of 26-4-1973.