In the previous article titled “God has chosen You”, we spoke about Saint Virgin Mary, who is honored and exalted by all religions. We quickly went through the reason which made the Christ’s Disciples fast, until we reached the celebration of Saint Virgin Mary’s feast which have been celebrated across generations until our day.
The life of Virgin Mary was beautified with several virtues, which we began by speaking about her endurance and patience along her entire life.
The life of Saint Virgin Mary was filled with troubles, hardships and sufferings that she had thankfully endured since her childhood! The birth of Saint Virgin Mary was on the first of Bashans (9/5), and on the third of Kiyahk (13/12), she entered the Temple while she hadn’t reached her third year yet. We can understand the feelings of a girl who leaves her parents at a young age to live in the Temple as a servant and praiser, and she bore their departure since her tender age. When she was eight years old, her parents died, so she lost even the few times she had gathered with them in! Thus, she bore a life of orphanhood and loneliness, however, in unique meekness, she got preoccupied with God, the Father of all, and with praise. At the age of 12, she left the Temple, which had become her safe refuge in her first years, to live under the care of an old carpenter, enduring his poor life.
When she gave birth to her child, she found no place to have her baby laid except for an animals’ barn! After few days, she carried her son, fleeing to Egypt, escaping the oppression of Herod who had searched Him diligently to kill Him! Her days went heavily, that she passed three years and a half travelling from Bethlehem, Palestine to Gaza, then to Al Farma city then
Tel Basta through towns and villages, until she reached Mount Qusqam, where now is located a monastery built on her name known as Al Muharraq.
She was exposed to harsh treatment from some people, she endured being kicked out from one city to another due to the facts of the idols falling at the child Jesus’ passing by them, as what happened in the village of Qusqam (Qust – Qusia): the idol that was worshiped by the people of the city immediately fell and was destroyed at the arrival of the Holy Family, and for that the people of the city hurried to kick them all out! And so, the days passed between hardships and easiness until she returned to the land of Palestine.
Saint Virgin Mary suffered the most difficult thing a father or a mother could encounter, when the Lord Christ was persecuted, insulted, and finally He bore the pains of the crucifixion, after the people cried insistently: “Crucify Him!” While He went about doing good for them and for the whole humanity! How cruel are these feelings which pervaded the heart of Saint Virgin Mary! Her life became an embodiment of endurance until she died on the 21st of Tuba (30/1).
Modesty
Another trait which was prominent in the life of Saint Virgin Mary is modesty which appeared in many instances: the most prominent among them is those words which she uttered after the angel had preached her, announcing that she would give birth to the Lord Christ: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord, Let it be to me according to your word”
Although God chose her from all the women of the world, this shows us nothing but her warm heart filled with grace and modesty as she laid all her life in the hands of God – blessed be His name.
We also saw her rushing to her relative, the old aged Elizabeth, knowing that she was pregnant in her sixth month in order to serve her until she gave birth. We are aware of the difficulty of travelling from Nazareth to the city of Judah along a hard mountain road. Saint Virgin Mary continued to serve Elizabeth until she gave birth to her son, John, who was called the Baptist;
He called for repentance and prepared the hearts of the people before the Lord Christ. The preaching that was given to her by God did not lift her heart above people, but rather it increased her modesty and made her serve the needy human beings. Thus, Saint Virgin Mary was filled with modesty throughout her life until the day on which she departed from this world.
And…stories never end in beautiful Egypt
General Bishop
Head of Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
