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If the Guinness Book of World Records had a section on extreme conversions, Mary of Egypt would probably be the lead story. She went through one of the most astonishing conversions in the history of the church. Her conversion was extreme for three reasons.
First, her life before conversion was extremely bad. Second, her turnaround was lightning fast. And third, her life after her conversion went to an extreme as well. To be honest, Mary’s whole Christian life was unusual.
Clearly, Mary of Egypt isn’t the easiest saint to relate to. In fact, some people find her hard to take. Others, however, find a powerful message in her life.
X-Rated Beginnings. Mary was born in an Egyptian village around the year 500. Her parents were Christians and had her baptized. But as she grew up, she grew away from her parents and her faith.
In those days, Egyptian parents would arrange a marriage for their daughter when she reached her teens. But Mary had other ideas. It was not that she wanted to enter a convent. No, Mary wanted to…
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