15 July 2025

On Sunday, the Orthodox Calendar of Saints drew our attention to two. The first was an angel called Gabriel. His name means ‘mighty one of God’. He describes himself as one ‘who stands in the presence of God’. He brought news to Mary that she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus.

The second was described as ‘our Holy Mother Sarah the Egyptian’. Apparently, she was an abbess of a women’s monastery in Scetis, Northern Egypt. In Lawrence Farley’s biography, it says, ‘For thirteen years she was plagued by thoughts of impurity.’

As a consequence, she prayed constantly against it, saying, ‘Lord, strengthen me!’ She didn’t ask that the temptation should be removed but that she should be made strong to overcome the temptation contained in these unwanted  thoughts.

It seems remarkable that the tale of her sanctity should centre on her struggle with impure thoughts. What can we do about them? We cannot help their unwanted visitation but we can resist the temptations with which they are clothed.

Sarah, the Egyptian, prayed for strength to resist temptation for thirteen years. ‘At last, she had a vision of the demonic spirit of impurity fleeing and saying, ‘You have conquered me, Sarah!’ Her response to the demonic spirit’s flight was interesting. She said, ‘Not I, but Christ who works in me!’

Waiting thirteen years is not a project which people would readily undertake. She didn’t know how long it would be until she was free.  She prayed for strength and that’s our prayer too for the outcome of a pure heart is a rare blessing. For Jesus says, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.

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