Απόσπασμα του βιβλίο του πατρός Αυγουστίνου «ΜΥΡΙΠΝΟΑ ΑΝΘΗ»!

Η μετάφρασι ολόκληρου τού βιβλίου στά Αγγλλικά έγινε από τόν ακούραστο εργάτη καί αγωνιστή της Ορθοδοξίας, πνευματικόν τέκνον του π.Αυγουστίνου, πατέρα Αστέριο Γεροστέργιο.  Προσφέρεται ταπεινά καί μέ τήν έν Χριστώ αγάπη είς ψυχικήν ωφέλειαν Ορθοδόξων Χριστιανών απνανταχού τής γής καί επισκεπτών της ιστοσελίδας τού σεβαστού Γέροντος Αυγουστίνου
πρός δόξαν του Τριαδικού μας Θεού.

«Θαυματός ό Θεός έν τοίς αγίοις αυτού» (Ψαλμ.67:36)

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT – SAINT MARY OF EGYPT (APRIL 1)

GRACE DEFEATS SIN

There are my beloved, many people who say that man cannot defeat sin, curb his habits, control his passions, change his life, and live as the Gospel recommends.  “It’s impossible”, they say, “for man to change.  In man nature dominates.  The cat catches mice, the hawk pigeons, the wolf sheep.”  “If”, they say, “the cat ceases to hunt mice, the hawk pigeons, the wolf sheep then man will also be able to defeat evil, to change his nature, and become a man of goodness and virtue.”

What does not happen in the kingdom of nature, however, happens in the kingdom of grace.  And what is the kingdom of grace?  The kingdom of grace is the Church that Christ has founded.  In the church, man, no matter how sinful and corrupt hi is , if he believes in the crucified redeemer of the world, he finds strength to expel from himself the heavy weight of his sins and become another man; from being sinful to being a saint, the wolf becoming a sheep, the crow becoming a dove, the dark of night becoming as bright as the sun.

Are there these kind of examples of moral changes in men?  Yes, there are!  There aren’t just one or two examples but many examples, ancient ones and new ones, that show the enormous influence of the power of Christ on the corrupt nature of man.  Only Christ changes man completely.  One of the finest examples of fundamental moral changes is the life of Saint Mary of Egypt.  Our Church celebrates her sacred memory on the Fifth Sunday of Lent and on the first of April.  We will try to narrate the life of Saint Mary in a few words in this homily.

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Mary of Egypt lived in the fifth century A.D. during the reign of Emperor Justinian, who built Saint Sophia in Constantinople.  She was born in Alexandria of Egypt.  This city was one of the richest cities at this time, as well as one of the most corrupt cities in the world.  Where there is wealth there is also corruption.  It didn’t take long for Mary to get corrupted in this environment.  She was twelve years old when she started to go astray.  If a girl is not careful, but allows herself to fall into sin, it is difficult afterwards for her to control herself.  The first downfall follows the second, the second the third, and so on.  Man is like a ball, which if you let it fall from a high place will roll downwards and not stop until it reaches the very bottom – and Mary rolled downward into sin.  She fell very deeply into it.  She was corrupted to an unimaginable degree.  Shall we now describe the life she was living?  Her life was an orgy.  In the empire of the Devil she became an awful hook, and by it the Devil was catching souls and corrupting them.  Mary of Egypt was known to all and spoken of much in the corrupt society of Alexandria.  She became the Queen, the Goddess of Pleasure and shameful sin.  The corrupt youth talked about her and sacrificed everything for her favor.

Suddenly however, Mary of Egypt, the sinful woman who had scandalized and moved the city, who had led thousands of youth astray into sin, changed.  How?  Listen.  A boat was leaving from Alexandria to take pilgrims to Jerusalem.  Mary of Egypt got on this ship as well.  In spite of her sinfulness there was a spark at the depth of her heart, something that was bothering her.  Mary arrived at the Holy Land and she went to Jerusalem.
The next day was the Fourteenth of September, the day when our Church celebrates the Elevation of the Holy Cross.  Thousands of people went to pray at that Church which Saint Helen built on the place where the precious Cross of Christ was found.  Men and women were entering the Church in reverence, were approaching the Cross, knelt and venerated it.  Mary mingled with the other Christians as they reached the door of the Church.  However, when she attempted to enter an invisible force stopped her.  It was impossible for her to take a step forwards.  She understood that as a sinner she was unworthy to enter into the Church and venerate the Holy Cross.  Her sins were hindering her.  She started crying, to repent for her sinful life and to pray to the Theotokos to intercede with her Son to forgive her sins.  Her supplication was heard.  She entered the Church, venerated the precious Cross, and made the promise that she would start a new life.  Then she heard a voice telling her, “Mary if you cross the Jordan River you will find peace.”

She left Jerusalem.  She went to the Jordan River.  She found a spiritual father there.  She confessed her sins and with his permission she crossed the Jordan and proceeded into the desert.  She lived there in the desert 47 whole years.  She lived a very austere life there.  She who lived in the luxury of Alexandria; who ate and drank the most choice foods and drinks, who slept in soft beds and had all the comforts and all the pleasures of the flesh; who dressed in silk and was adorned with the most expensive bracelets and earrings, gifts of her lovers, she now lived a completely opposite life.  Her food was herbs.  Her drink the water of Jordan.  Her bed the hard earth of the desert.  Her food was grass.  Her companions the wild beasts.  For some it is frightening to think of how she lived in the desert, a woman who had been so spoiled.  By the power of the Cross she fought and defeated the Satan of the flesh and she was finally enabled to receive the immaculate mysteries from Saint Zosimas and be buried in the desert.

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My beloved! On the Fifth Sunday of Lent, at the end of the Holy Fast, and on the first of April our Church offers the life of Saint Mary of Egypt as an excellent example of repentance.  No other man or woman must despair, no matter how many sins they have committed and say that there is no salvation for me.  No!  There is a way of salvation for all sinners; it is the way which leads to Golgotha, to the Cross of our Lord.  One drop of His blood suffices to erase and extinguish all sins.  If the cross was not risen we sinners would be in despair.  Not now, however.  Let us approach the Crucified One.  Let us kiss His immaculate feet.  Let us sprinkle them with our tears, as did Mary of Egypt.  Our conviction is what the Gospel says, that Christ came to be sacrificed and with His precious blood to redeem the world (1 John 1:17).  Grace defeats sin.