The Lesser Feast of Marina the Monk, Monastic
Learn more about today’s Feast
Page numbers listed are from The Book of Common Prayer.
Opening Sentence, page 103
Officiant: O God, make speed to save us.
People: O Lord, make haste to help us.
All: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
Psalm 148, page 805
1 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens; *
praise him in the heights.
2 Praise him, all you angels of his; *
praise him, all his host.
3 Praise him, sun and moon; *
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, heaven of heavens, *
and you waters above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the Name of the Lord; *
for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He made them stand fast for ever and ever; *
he gave them a law which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, *
you sea-monsters and all deeps;
8 Fire and hail, snow and fog, *
tempestuous wind, doing his will;
9 Mountains and all hills, *
fruit trees and all cedars;
10 Wild beasts and all cattle, *
creeping things and winged birds;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, *
princes and all rulers of the world;
12 Young men and maidens, *
old and young together.
13 Let them praise the Name of the Lord, *
for his Name only is exalted, his splendor is over earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up strength for his people and praise for all his loyal servants, *
the children of Israel, a people who are near him. Hallelujah!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Reading: Luke 18:18–30
A certain ruler asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’” He replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” He replied, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.”
Then Peter said, “Look, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
All: Thanks be to God.
Reflection: Marina the Monk, Monastic
Marina was born in present-day Lebanon, in the fifth century. She was the only child of her parents, and her mother died when she was still a young girl. Her father refused to remarry, and instead raised her himself until she was a teenager. At that point, he hoped to find her a husband and then retire to live the life of a monk.
Marina, however, rejected this plan, saying: “Why would you save your own soul at the cost of destroying mine?” Instead, she shaved off her hair and exchanged her clothing for men’s clothes. When her father saw her determination, he relented. Selling all of their possessions, they went together to the monastic settlement in the Qadisha Valley, where he introduced her as his son “Marinos.”
After ten years of living the monastic life together, the father died. Marinos continued to live at the monastery without revealing his identity to anyone. In time, however, a local girl who had become pregnant accused Marinos of fathering her child. Rather than respond to this accusation with the obvious denial, Marinos accepted responsibility rather than reveal his secret or subject the girl to further reproach. When the child was born, the infant was given to Marinos to raise at the monastery, and he accepted the boy as though he were truly his own son, and bore patiently all of the scorn and abuse that the other monks heaped upon him for his alleged violation of his monastic vows.
After many years Marinos also died, and it was only when the monks went to prepare the body for burial that they discovered it was actually the body of a woman, who had obviously been innocent of the accusation of having fathered a child. The monks and villagers lamented their false accusation and judgment, and after their repentance many miracles were performed at Marina’s tomb.
While some aspects of this story may be legendary, there are numerous accounts in early Christianity of women disguising themselves as men and entering male monasteries, and this is one of the examples that is considered to be the most historically reliable.
Marina/Marinos is particularly venerated today in Lebanon, Cyprus, and Italy, usually under the name of “Marina the Monk.”
The Prayers, pages 106-107
Officiant: Lord have mercy.
People: Christ have mercy.
Officiant: Lord have mercy.
All:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Officiant: Lord, hear our prayer;
People: And let our cry come to you.
Officiant: Let us pray.
Give us grace, Lord God, to refrain from judgments about the sins of others; that, like your servant Marina the Monk, we may hold fast to the path of discipleship in the midst of unjust judgments; through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Intercessions and Thanksgivings
Dismissal, page 107
Officiant: Let us bless the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
Officiant: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.