JULY 17

Day 17: Saint Marina (North Lebanon).

This holy woman was born in Al’Qalamoon, in North Lebanon, in a devout family. Her mother died while she was still a young girl. Her father wanted to join the monastery of the Holy Valley, Qannoobeen, but could not abandon her, so he disguised her in a boy’s outfit and brought her along with him. There in the monastery, she kept her secret even after her father’s death, and she was known as brother Marinos.

Marinos was an exampleric monk, in stead of his young age, spending most of his time in prayer and growing up in virtuous life, closely following the monastic rules. Keeping silence as possible as he could, so nobody would find out that he is a woman; he also had the habit of keeping his head down, covered with the monastic hood, which he used to cover up his face and eyes. One day, the superior sent him to the nearby town on a business trip, and he had to stay overnight at the house of one of the monastery’s friends, Befnotios. Befnotios had a young unmarried daughter, who appeared to be pregnant after Marinos visit; which made her father really made, and those she told him that it was the monk Marinos who had raped her, the night when he stayed over their house. At once Befnotios run up to the monastery accusing Marinos before the superior; which took him by surprise, knowing how chaste and devout Marinos is. The superior then, called after Marions and reproached him, but Marinos remained silent; which perplexed his superior, who counted his silence as Marinos’ way to admit his guilt, and thus Marinos was expelled from the monastery. Marinos obeyed the unjust judgment, relying on God to justify him, he continued his life of repentance at the monastery’s door, often crying, and living on the leftovers of the monks. And when Befnotios’ daughter had a boy, he brought him to the monastery, and gave him to Marinos saying: “here is your child, take care of him!” For four years, Marinos took good care of the boy, feeding him on goats’ milk and food that the monks had to provide him with; enduring patiently and calmly the shame and humiliations from the monks and the public. Finally the superior of the monastery of Our Lady of Qannoobeen pitted him, and let him back in the monastery, imposing on him a demanding penance, which Marinos accepted with tears. There he persevered in austere life of sacrifices until he died. On his death bed, his face radiated with heavenly light, and he asked forgiveness from all, as he forgave all those who sinned against him. After his death, the superior ordered that his body be washed, prepared for burial outside the monastery. And how great was the surprise of the monks to realize that Marinos was a woman, not a man! They kneeled down along with their superior before the body, asking forgiveness from Saint Marina.

When Befnotios learned about the truth, he came covered with shame, confessing his sin publicly; while his daughter stayed by the tomb of the saint, crying out of repentance over her sin. The fame of Marina’s holiness was all over Lebanon, and people marched in bunches to Qannoobeen’s monastery, seeking her blessings. Marina’s tomb soon became a source of numerous healings and graces. May her blessing be with us. Amen.