Old and New Martyrdoms

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God is one. Amen.

On this fifth Sunday in Great Lent, we celebrate the life of St Mary of Egypt. This remarkable woman lived in the fifth century and is reliably “recorded to have lived a life of complete isolation [in the desert] for 47 years” [F.L. Cross & E.A. Livingstone, Dictionary of the Christian Church, Hendrickson Publishers, 2007, p. 1049]. Happily, St Mary’s life of 47 years in complete isolation in the desert is not a model for us. We are only being asked to live in self-isolation at home for some months. However, while she was living in isolation, St Mary did something quite important that is a model for us: she turned toward God; and her life changed.

St Mary had come on a journey from Egypt to Jerusalem. The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church tells us what happened then. Outside of the Church of the Resurrection, built around the rock on which Jesus Christ was crucified, the sins of her past life acted as “an invisible force [that] prevented her entering.” Still outside of the church, she prayed before an icon of the Mother of God. “‘As the God born of Thee became man in order to call sinners to repentance, come to my aid! Allow me to go into the church and prostrate [that is, lie face downwards in great humility] before His cross. And, as soon as I have seen the Cross,’” St Mary told the Mother of God, “‘I promise that I will renounce [that is, give up] the world and all pleasures, and follow the path of salvation that Thou [will] show me.’ She felt herself suddenly freed from the power [of sin] that had held her, and [she] was able to enter the church. There she [earnestly] venerated the Holy Cross and then, returning to the icon of the Mother of God, [she] declared herself ready to follow the path that the Virgin would show her. A voice replied to her from on high: ‘If you cross the Jordan, you will find rest’” [Vol. 4, pp. 295-298]. Now, St Mary did cross the Jordan River and go alone into the desert. None of us are being asked today to go to Jerusalem or even to leave our homes, but it is important that we understand what it means “to cross the Jordan.”

The third chapter of the book of Joshua in the Old Testament explains how the Israelites saw the Jordan as a wide and deep river—an obstacle too difficult to cross. However, Joshua told the people, “Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow [that is, free yourselves from sin and be holy], because tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” Joshua also said to the priests, “Take up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and go before the people.” And that is what happened.  With the Ark of the Covenant leading the way, the Israelites crossed the Jordan and changed from a wandering tribe into a strong nation.

It is important for us to understand that God did not cause this present pandemic, nor is He punishing us for our sins. However, He does want to free us from sin. He does want us to become holy and to draw closer to Him and His Church. We can do that by using this opportunity of isolation as a time for prayer and service, a time for loving our families and friends, a time for reaching out to help others. However, as we experience an increase in faith and in the power of the Holy Trinity to change us, that does not mean that prayer alone will save us from the present pandemic. This new coronavirus, Covid-19, spreads easily. Millions of people throughout the world are already experiencing this disease in either a mild or a serious form, so we need to improve our hygiene and follow Government guidelines. The medical and scientific advice being set out for the United Kingdom is excellent; and the Prime Minister and the Cabinet are seeking to follow it. Different nations, with different cultures, are following different advice. It will be some months yet before it is clear how best to control this pandemic. However, today’s epistle from Hebrews 11.14 offers appropriate advice to all of us throughout the world: “The blood of Christ [can] cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

And so, we ascribe as is justly due all might, majesty, dominion, power and praise to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, always now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Father Emmanuel Kahn