www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Help me! Where does one divide up the life of St. Mary of Egypt?

I'm getting ready to chant the Canon tomorrow, and want to include the Life of Mary of Egypt, which is available in many places on the net. What isn't available, it seems, is exactly where the dividing point is in the text. One is supposed to read one half at one point in the liturgy, and the other half at another point.

Do any of you know where it divides? I _think_ it's here:

"The elder wept and the woman began her story." --End of Part I.

Thanks in advance,
Karl

Karl,

Yes that is the correct division.

Fr. Deacon Lance

Let's see if I get all this correct!

It is usually done with Orthros, not a liturgy, and on Wednesday night. The first half is read after the 8th kathisma and the sedalion with its Theotokion. The Metropolitan Cantor Institute does not include the Theotokion in their edition, which means if you are using their guide and inserting St. Mary's Life into it that you would do so right after the Litany of Peace and Alleluia and right before Psalm 50.

The first half ends with, "It was as if there was a detachment of soldiers standing there to oppose my entrance. Once again I was excluded by the same mighty force and again I stood in the porch."

After the first half comes Psalm 50, then comes the Canon. After the Little Litany and sedalions (sessional hymns) that follow the third ode, the second half of the Life of St. Mary is read.

After that, the fourth ode is sung and the Canon continues as usual. When the Canon is finished, it resumes Orthros picking up after Psalm 50.

It could take anywhere between 2.5 and 4.5 hours, easily.

During each, "Have mercy on me, O God..." at least one profound bow (touching the ground with the hand) is done. Alternately, you can do three profound bows or 1 full prostration (which is on the knees, head to floor). During each irmos, a full prostration is done.

The Great Canon is usually anticipated on Wednesday evening. Actually most versions of the Slavonic Typikon call for Matins with the Great Canon to begin at the "fourth hour of evening" or at about 10 p.m. In most places it starts earlier.

The first half of the life of St. Mary is read right before Psalm 50, the second after the concluding katavasia of Ode III, the Little Litany and sedalny.

As I was instructed to celebrate this service, the first half ends with "Once again I was excluded by the same mighty force and again I stood in the porch", and the second half of the Life of St. Mary of Egypt begins at "Having repeated my attempt three or four times, at last I felt exhausted and had no more strength to push and to be pushed, so I went aside and stood in a corner of the porch."

This year it took us about three hours with the entire Canon and Life.

Orthros and Matins being different names for the same service, I believe Diak and I posted the same thing. That means I must have gotten it right. Yay!

Dear Diak and Wondering,

Curses! If you guys are right, my division in the text is wrong, but I already printed up ten copies.

I think I am going to use some oeconomia and make the division where Deacon Lance said, at least for this year.

I don't know about "right" but the division I was taught is also the same one used by an Old Rite monastic friend and is the one used in Jordanville.

For what it is worth, I have been praying the Great Canon for over 10 years and I have always made the division in the life of St. Mary where Deacon Lance indicated that it should be made. I was taught to do it this way by a priest who is now in the Ukrainian Catholic Church in California. (At the time, he was in the OCA.)

That's fine. I made a nice pdf of the Life, which takes 8 pages (or 4 if you duplex), with your division. If you want it, I can send it to you. Just send a note to byzkarl (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Karl, you betcha! Would be good to pass out next year for a recollection on the life of St. Mary.

Regarding PrJ's observations above - certainly there will be some minor differences in the partition of the Life (that's only Byzantine) Whether the one mentioned came from the OCA or Antiochians or somewhere else is another interesting question. The UGCC priest who taught it to me many years ago learned it from the UGCC Studite monks, and I by coincidence later found out that Jordanville and even some in the Old Rite take the same division.

I've been taking it for about 20 years and that's the one I have used. As the priest explained to me, the division is appropriate since St. Mary was at the porch, at the portals of repentance and at the brink of receiving the healing power of the Cross. Sometimes it is these little things that are quite fascinating.

I went ahead and checked the Greek Typikon that I have had and there is no liturgical rubric given for the division of the life of St. Mary. I then went and checked several copies of the life that I have gathered over the years. Most of them have no liturgical rubrics -- but I did find one (it is a copy so no publisher's date) that indicates splitting the Life the way DIAK has written and one (it too is a copy) that indicates splitting the Life the way Deacon Lance has indicated. So apparently, as in all things Orthodox/Eastern, there are at least two legitimate ways of doing things!

It reminds me of a Bright Monday Vespers service I once served. I was the celebrant and a ROCOR priest was the chanter. (There are different rubrics for Bright Week vespers between the Greeks and the Russians.) In the middle of the service, we sort of tussled over what should or should not be done. At the end, we met in the middle of the Church and apologized to each other. As we were apologizing, a nun came running up. "Fathers," she said. "It was beautiful -- and it was truly Orthodox." Since we both looked surprised (given our tussle), she continued, "I knew it was Orthodox because it was completely confused and a liturgical mess ... but somehow we all prayed! Glory to God!"