Last article tackled the honoring of Saint Virgin Mary present in all religions, her high status with God, the fasting named after her which was launched by the father apostles, disciples of Lord Christ, and her life which was never easy, was filled with great pain, difficulties and hardships, until she became a unique model for every person who traverses the path of grief and pain.
The life of Saint Virgin Mary was also filled with giving, like a generous inexhaustible river. She was a child who offered her life to serve the temple since the age of three; she led a holy life, offered to God, modestly praying and fasting until she grew into a twelve-year-old lady. She devoted her life to care for Lord Christ, as Archangel Gabriel had announced to her that she would conceive and give birth to a Son without human seed, so she obeyed, saying: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” She lived following the footsteps of Lord Christ, the Bible tells us: “While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” She followed Him to the cross, until Lord Christ entrusted her to His disciple John the Apostle, becoming a mother for all humans.
After the crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension of Lord Christ, Saint Virgin Mary continued to dedicate her life to God by praying, encouraging and supporting our father apostles and the whole Church. We recall the story of her supporting and rescuing Apostle Matthias when he was preaching Christianity, until he reached a city called Bartus (in the vicinity of Galatia in Asia Minor), whose people worshiped idols, so Matthias the Apostle began to preach them and performed a lot of miracles and marvels until many of the people believed and began to break idols. But the pagans who did not believe were enraged, and complained to the governor, accusing Apostle Matthias of not respecting the gods or the laws of the city. Enraged, the governor ordered Apostle Matthias to be cast into prison with his companions. Deep prayers to God to save them from prison soon rose up to heaven.
Saint Virgin Mary was still in Palestine – Jerusalem at the time – heard that Apostle Matthias was in great distress; she sent up many prayers to God in order to guide her to his place, and she knew, with divine guidance, that he was in the city of Bartus, so she went to him in a miraculous way, and there she met an old woman – who had believed at the hands of Apostle Matthias- who guided her to the prison. As soon as Saint Virgin Mary arrived at the prison, she found it locked with iron chains. She prayed to God that the iron would dissolve and become like water. God heard her prayer and melted the iron, not that of the prison alone, but the iron of the whole city, and the hearts of the entire city melted as well in turmoil!
The governor heard about what happened and inquired, he was told that a marvelous woman came searching for Apostle Matthias who was imprisoned, stood before the locked doors of the prison, prayed with non-understandable words that dissolved the iron in the entire city! The governor brought her and asked about dissolving the iron, he had a demon-possessed son, whom he brought before Saint Virgin Mary, she cast the demon out of him and he became sane. The governor got rejoiced and declared his faith with the city people, they pleaded for Saint Virgin Mary to restore the iron of the city to its former solid state, and through her prayers to her Son, the iron was restored solid again. The governor quickly demolished the idols he had worshipped before, ordered a great church to be established and named after Saint Virgin Mary. This miracle has become an annual feast celebrated by the Coptic Orthodox Church on 21st of Ba’una: “Commemoration of the miracle of dissolving iron”.
Saint Virgin Mary offered her entire life to God, she served Him modestly and honestly, she still responds to whoever pleads for her intercessions before God, and… stories about beautiful Egypt never end!
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
