Mary of Egypt, Monastic, c. 421

The Collect:

Rite I:
Merciful Lord, who dost raise up sinners by thy boundless compassion and mercy: Cause the desert sun to burn away our coarseness and to melt our hardness of heart, that, like thy servant Mary of Egypt, we may not depart from this life until we understand the ways of repentance and the benefits of prayer; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy God, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Rite II:
Merciful Lord, who raises up sinners by your boundless compassion and mercy: Cause the desert sun to burn away our coarseness and to melt our hardness of heart, that, like your servant Mary of Egypt, we may not depart from this life until we understand the ways of repentance and the benefits of prayer; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9 

¹ When Israel was a child, I loved him,
    and out of Egypt I called my son.
² The more I called them,
    the more they went from me;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals,
    and offering incense to idols.

³ Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
    I took them up in my arms;
    but they did not know that I healed them.
⁴ I led them with cords of human kindness,
    with bands of love.
I was to them like those
    who lift infants to their cheeks.
    I bent down to them and fed them.

⁸ How can I give you up, Ephraim?
    How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
    How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
    my compassion grows warm and tender.
⁹ I will not execute my fierce anger;
    I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and no mortal,
    the Holy One in your midst,
    and I will not come in wrath.

Psalm: 48:8-13

⁸ We have waited in silence on your loving-kindness, O God, *
in the midst of your temple.
⁹ Your praise, like your Name, O God, reaches to
the world’s end; *
your right hand is full of justice.
¹⁰ Let Mount Zion be glad
and the cities of Judah rejoice, *
because of your judgments.
¹¹ Make the circuit of Zion;
walk round about her; *
count the number of her towers.
¹² Consider well her bulwarks;
examine her strongholds; *
that you may tell those who come after.
¹³ This God is our God for ever and ever; *
he shall be our guide for evermore.

Second Lesson: Hebrews 11:32–40

³² And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. ³⁵ Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. ³⁶ Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented— ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

³⁹ Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ since God had provided something better so that they would not, without us, be made perfect.

Gospel: John 8:1–11

¹while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ²Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. ³The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, ⁴they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. ⁵Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ ⁶They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. ⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ ⁸And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. ⁹When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ¹¹She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’

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