St. Mary of Palestine
Today we celebrate St. Mary of Palestine. St. Mary read the Psalter in the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. She was very beautiful and realized that many men were tempted by her beauty. She decided to remove herself from the city, to assist the men in removing their temptation. She took with her a basket of beans and a jug water. She lived in the wilderness for eighteen years, and by God's grace, the beans and the water did not run out. She was discovered by disciples of St. Cyriacus who buried her upon her death.
I (Beth) find this story fascinating. St. Mary of Palestine was not sinning but she knew her beauty was causing temptation. Out of love for her fellow man, she withdrew herself so that they had less opportunity to sin. To be clear, she's not at fault here. The men are. But I'm amazed at her selflessness and love of the men. Going to the wilderness to live on beans and water isn't a picnic! It's an incredible mortification. But she did this out of love. May we too do things out of love for our neighbor, even if the things we do cause hardship or go above and beyond.
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