Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord,
We continue our journey through Great Lent, and by now we are beginning to feel that this is not just a season, but a real inner work — with its struggles, setbacks, and attempts to begin again.
On the fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the Church commemorates St. Mary of Egypt.
By this point, many of us come to a simple and honest realization: not everything has gone as we hoped. In some ways we have grown weak, in others we have returned to old habits, and for some, Lent may feel as though it is simply passing by.
And it is precisely at this moment that the Church offers us her example.
The life of St. Mary is one of the strongest witnesses to the truth that for God, no one is beyond hope. She lived many years in sin, but one encounter with God changed the direction of her entire life.
Not immediately, not easily — but a path began. A path of repentance that led her to holiness.
It is important to understand that her подвиг was not only her withdrawal into the desert and her strict way of life. The Church does not call us to imitate this outwardly. What matters most is the depth of repentance — not just regret for the past, but a true turning of one’s whole life toward God, right where we are, in our ordinary circumstances.
Why does the Church place her remembrance near the end of Great Lent?
Because by this time we begin to see clearly: we cannot change ourselves by our own strength. Lent reveals who we truly are — and this is not always easy to accept. But именно здесь Церковь показывает нам выход: change becomes possible when a person stops relying only on himself and turns to God.
St. Mary teaches us something very simple: it does not matter so much where a person began or what he once was. What matters is who he is now — and where he is going.
We may fall. We may lose our way. We may become distracted. But we can always return.
And now, as Great Lent is drawing to its close, the Church gently speaks to each of us through her life: it is not too late. We can begin again. We can take a step toward God — today.
May the example of St. Mary of Egypt strengthen us in these remaining days of the Fast, help us not to give up, not to lose hope, and to reach the bright feast of the Resurrection of Christ with peace in our hearts.
