Saint Mary of Egypt
Hermitess (
5th Century Anno Domini A.D.) Feast: 1 April
Saints Who Were Close to Nature
According to tradition, Mary was a prostitute in Alexandria in Egypt. In search of new clients, she boarded a pilgrim ship bound for Jerusalem 
where she joined the great crowd pouring into church to venerate the relics of the True Cross 
As Mary reached the threshold of the church, however, a mysterious, invisible force prevented her from entering 
Recognizing all at once the error of her ways, she invoked the help of the Mother of God, whose statue was above the door. When Mary approached again, she was able to enter & venerate the relic. She crossed the Jordan River & fled to the desert in the east 
For 47 years, Mary lived as a penitent in the wilderness, subsisting on herbs alone 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Egypt
Then a priest, Zosimus , chanced upon Mary . She told him her story & asked him to return in a year on Holy Thursday to bring her Communion 
This he did, & Mary gave thanks to God for the opportunity to receive the Lord. She then asked Zosimus to return the next year. When he did, he found that she had died 
A lion appeared & helped him to bury the body 
& Zosimus returned to his monastery, where he shared Mary's story.
Mary is patroness of penitent women, & her emblem in art is the lion.
Loving Father 
through the intercession of Saint Mary of Egypt , help me to find a solitary place for prayer 
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