St. Peter counts Paradise's guests and finds the Virgin Mary bringing more

A story from Mount Athos recounts that each night St. Peter closed the gates of Paradise and counted how many had entered, writing their names beside those already inside. The next morning he counted again and discovered three more people than the ten he had recorded the previous evening. Puzzled, he went to Christ and asked for an explanation. Christ told him to keep watch.

That night St. Peter obeyed and at dawn he had the answer. He reported to the Lord that in the evening, when Paradise was closed, the Virgin Mary climbed the walls and brought people in from there. The story illustrates the intercessory power of the Theotokos.