“The Virgin Mary,” “Our Lady Mary,” “Saint Mary the Virgin” are names known and etched in the minds of all Egyptians. “The Virgin Mary” holds a transcendent love in Egyptian hearts and a great status unmatched by any woman in history. The wise man mentions her in the Bible: “Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all” (Proverbs 31:29). In the Quran, it is stated: “And [mention] when the angels said, ‘O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds'” (Surah Al-Imran, Verse 42).
She is also the only woman in human history to whom heaven has borne witness; thus, she earned veneration and honor, and she received a blessing when the angel announced to her in the Bible: “blessed are you among women” (Luke 1:28, 1:42), and “you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:30). In the Quran, it is stated: “So We breathed into her of Our Spirit, and We made her and her son a sign for the worlds” (Surah Al-Anbiya, Verse 91).
The life of “The Virgin Mary” is filled with virtues, among them the virtue of (Hope). The word hope (rajāʾ) is linguistically derived from the verb “to hope for” (رجا – rajā), meaning “to wish and expect.” Hope is the feeling of assurance that a desired event will occur. To hope for something is to wish for it, to desire it. And when we speak of hoping in God, it means to rely on Him. Thus, “hope” becomes the positive expectation and beautiful outlook a person has when anticipating and awaiting good. Hope is crucial for human life; it is the engine and motivation for people to work with diligence, effort, and patience, and to persevere in life. The opposite of hope is despair, which is the most dangerous thing a person can face. Despair and melancholy lead one to lose morale, and anxiety and turmoil creep into one’s life, leading to failure and the destruction of one’s surroundings and even oneself.
Hope comes from God, for He is the God of hope who bestows hope upon mankind. The Bible says: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). The Quran mentions hope: “it is they who hope for the mercy of Allah. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful” (Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 218). Hope stems from faith in God, in His mercy, His love, and His wisdom in managing all the affairs of the universe, trusting that: “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28), and that God does not disappoint the hope of those who place their hope in Him.
Throughout the life of “The Virgin Mary,” we see hope filling her life through her complete love and obedience to God. When she was a young child of three, her mother presented her to the Temple to spend her life there, as she was a vow to God. The Temple became her home, and she placed all her hope in God, who became her reliance. She held in her heart the words of David the Prophet: “For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth” (Psalm 71:5). When she moved from the Temple to the house of “Joseph the Carpenter,” the righteous man, to care for her affairs, her hope and trust were in God’s providence until the angel of the Lord announced the birth of the “Lord Christ.” In the angel’s annunciation of the birth of the “Lord Christ” from her, saying: “blessed are you among women… Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest” (Luke 1:28-32), “The Virgin Mary” replied in humility: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38), with confidence that the God in whom she hopes ordains all things for the best.
The life of “The Virgin Mary” remained full of hope even in the most difficult and harsh situations a human can endure. Her life was filled with many pains, difficulties, and hardships which she bore with all humility and gratitude, casting all her cares upon the God in whom she hoped. After giving birth to the “Lord Christ,” she fled from “Palestine” to “Egypt,” carrying her child with her, moving from place to place to escape the soldiers who sought to kill him, confident in the protection of God her refuge.
And when a sword of sorrow pierced her soul as she saw the “Lord Christ” subjected to the persecutions of the Jewish leaders and their priests, who conspired together to kill him though he had committed no sin, she did not despair nor did her hope weaken; rather, it remained firm in God.
Thus, “The Virgin Mary” became a model of hope in people’s life, a hope lived by all who have loved and believed in God. To be continued.
And the conversation about “Beautiful Egypt” never ends!
The General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
