St Mary ran away from her village and parents at age 12. She was driven by her passions and said she supported herself through prostitution but related that often she would even withhold from accepting payment as she was completely taken over by lust.

When a massive pilgrimage was organized to go to Jerusalem she decided to go onboard the ship and found willing participants to imbibe in her lust to pay her way there. An Anti-pilgrimage of sorts.

Once arriving she attempted to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but at the door, she was stopped by an unknown force and pushed back. She kept attempting to go in and said it was as if she was hitting an invisible wall.
She realized that it was her sins, her lust that was barring her, and overcome with remorse she saw outside the church a painting of the Blessed Virgin. She vowed to seek forgiveness and renounce sin as well as the world and seek asceticism.

She was then allowed inside the church and while venerating a relic of the true cross she heard a voice say "If you cross the Jordan you will find glorious rest"

On the banks of the river, she went into the monastery of St John the Baptist, confessed, received absolution, and the Holy Eucharist.
The next morning with nothing but 3 loaves of bread and simple clothes on her back she crossed the river to live a simple ascetic life living only on what she could find in the wilderness.

One year before her death, Saint Zosimas of Palestine was walking through the area and saw a thin figure in the distance. He felt no evil and realized it was not a demon and was perhaps one of the Holy Desert Fathers so he called out to the figure asking for a blessing. He called out a few times before the figure stopped and he caught up with them. Upon reaching the figure he saw someone who looked more animal than man barely clothed and then heard a woman's voice saying she couldn't turn around as she was without clothing, but if he would give her his cloak she would.

Upon doing so she turned around and they both knelt on the ground before each other, he hoping for her blessing, she for his. She said that he was a priest and should be the one to bless her a poor sinner and he relented.
He asked her who she was and her story and she recounted her life which is how we know this now and then asked him to return the next year on Holy Thursday so as she might receive the Eucharist.

That next year he returned to the place but did not see her. He waited and waited and finally saw her on the other bank of the river and after making the sign of the cross she walked across the water to his astonishment and met him.
She received the Holy Eucharist from the priest and then asked him to return the following Lent.
The next year he returned and found her lying dead lying on her back, arms folded facing east (an important direction for churches as Christ will return from the East). Deeply saddened he saw writing in the dirt next to her saying that she had died that very night after receiving the Eucharist, one year prior, her body laying there incorrupt.

He attempted to dig her a grave, but the dirt was very dry and hard. He then looked to see a large lion passing by and the lion with his large claws dug her grave. Lions are important symbols in Christianity, St Mark is symbolized by the lion as he described John the Baptist as crying out in the desert like a lion's roar. St. Mary's life in the desert is very simple but extremely pious, often the most simple and subtle acts are the loudest prayers to God. Lions are also symbolic of Christ as the Lion of Judah and symbols of righteousness as the lion is the one to break the seals in Revelation.

Most of us cannot follow this example of St Mary of the other Ascetics. One cannot abandon their family to live in the wilderness to avoid the temptations of the world. However, there are great lessons to be learned and ones that we can put into practice daily.

*Avoid excess in all things from food to entertainment. It's not food that is bad but a lack of moderation and valuing excessive amounts. Pick days of fasting with simple meals. On nonfasting days find small penances, things to give up perhaps a desert, or simply olive oil on a salad vs the richer dressing.

*Make a space, time for prayer that is "Set Apart" from the world. This can be going to a quiet church, wooded area, chapel on your property, or a quiet room. Somewhere where you aren't inundated by the secular world, somewhere you can focus solely on God.

*Avoid the temptations of the world as best you can in your station. Be wary of modern entertainment as the risk is often greater than the reward. The phone you are likely reading this on is also a great channel of temptation directly into your life. I have started to make it a habit to delete Netflix, et al and on my social media to unfollow those whose content has no spiritual value so that when you are on Twitter, etc you are seeing spiritually nourishing or at the very least neutral things vs temptations.

*Practice simplicity in your life, cut out luxuries. I have nice clothes for events but am trying to keep things simpler. When you are going to buy something no matter what ask yourself if this will have a negative impact on your spirituality? A fridge is necessary to hold food for your family and good, but is the bose surround system necessary? perhaps it is I don't know but it's a good question to ask.

The Desert Fathers I think had the right idea, but even in their time one whose vocation is to raise a family cannot go live on a pillar, like St Simeon, in a cave like St. Anthony or wandering the wilderness like St. Mary. Their lessons for us in the vocation of marriage/secular is notto leave your family behind but to remove the temptations of that which doesn't bring you closer to God. So much of our life is not needed and only works to drown out the voice of God from our ears. Fast and Pray.