"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" that St. Mary of Egypt Aint No Fool

It's April 1st...and ya'll know what that means, right???

It's April Fool's Day...so you may indeed play a practical joke on someone, but please make sure its practical!

Image Source

The great American singer-songwriter and musician, Marvin Gaye was killed on April 1st, 1984.  He created many great classic hits and has been crowned as the "Prince of Motown" or the "Prince of Soul."  One of my all-time favorite songs his Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine."

In the Orthodox Church, April 1st is also the day commemorated as the falling asleep in the Lord of Saint Mary of Egypt.  She became a great ascetic and desert-dweller near the Jordan River; her story is told by priest named Zosimas, whom he encountered as he spent his Great Lenten journey in the desert.

Image Source

As a teenager apart of Teen SOYO, we had a program called "Lives of the Saints" where teens from across North America would research a Saint in the Orthodox Church and write about his/her life adding a personal reflection and have them published on the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese website.  Feel free to enjoy my words (as a teenager, mind you) on the feastday of St. Mary of Egypt by clicking HERE.

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director