The saints that we celebrate in the Church reveal different aspects of our Catholic faith. There was a movement in the early Church called the Desert Fathers and Mothers that arose in the late 3rd century; men and women left their earthly possessions and the comforts of society to live in isolation as hermits in the desert. Mary of Egypt is one of the saints on the liturgical calendar for today. She was a well-known singer and actress in Alexandria, Egypt in the middle of the 4th century. She realized her evil ways while praying in front of an icon of the Blessed Mother; she moved to the desert of Egypt to live as a hermit for 47 years. Her fame spread after her dead body was found in the desert. She achieved a large devotional following as a saint in medieval Europe. There has been a great interest in the Desert Fathers and Mothers in recent years, because many in our modern society are looking to their wisdom and their witness as an inspiration to try to no be so attached to the material possessions and superficial values of our modern world.
We hear in the Gospel today of the man at the pool at Bethesda was receives healing from Jesus. The crowds then criticize this man for carrying his mat on the sabbath, since carrying the mat is considered work, prohibited on the sabbath. Rather than celebrate his healing and wholeness, they find ways to criticize him and condemn him. As we think of the wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers exemplified in Mary of Egypt today, may we think of the spirit of living out our faith each day, the spirit of God’s love and mercy.
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