St. Sarah the Nun: Entering Through the Narrow Gate
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day” II Tim 4:7,8.
This saint lived a life of ascetic retreat worshipping and serving the Lord in a convent in Upper Egypt for many years despite her upbringing in a wealthy home. The only privilege she enjoyed was the fact that she was educated and she used that education to read everything about the Fathers, the holy monks, their lives, struggles and wise sayings. They had a great deal of influence on her and the fact that she left the world with all it had to offer in wealth and temptations to live the ascetic life in imitation of the holy fathers and their great love for Christ.
She persevered in her strife against sin and lust until the enemy tired of her and wanted to cause her to fall to the sin of pride. While she was praying one day he came to her and said “rejoice for you have overcome satan” she replied and said “I am a feeble woman and I cannot conquer you except by the power of the Lord Christ” and because of her humility, the enemy vanished.
Saint Sarah the nun fought the good the good fight for 60 years and strived to enter as the Lord Christ said “through the narrow gate, for many I say to you will seek to enter and will not be able” Luke 13:24.
We commemorate the life of this saint on the 24 of March, Baramhat 10. May Her prayers and blessings be with us.
St. Gregory the Wonderworker
St Gregory was known as “Thaumaturgus” which is Greek for ‘the wonderworker’.
We commemorate his departure on the 21st of the Coptic month of Hatur or the 30th of November.
St Gregory was born “Theodore’ to rich pagan parents and was very highly educated in philosophy, languages and the law. He was converted to Christianity by Origen. He grew in wisdom and spirituality and his counsel was very much sought after by the people of his city.
He was ordained bishop of his town, Neocaesarea, in Pontus, where he was a passionate evangelizer. We know that because at the time of his death there were only 17 non-believers in his city, and there was only 17 believers when he first arrived there as bishop. One day he preached and converted enough people to form a church. Early that next morning, there was a crowd at his door made up of sick people whom he cured and at the same time converted their souls too. Christians continued to increase and multiply in that city.
St Gregory was gifted with remarkable powers for healing, foretelling of the future, dispute resolution, power over evil spirits and nature. These were written of by St Basil. St Basil said “Through the cooperation of the Spirit, Gregory had a formidable power over evil spirits; he altered the course of rivers in the name of Christ; he dried up a lake that was a cause of dissension between 2 brothers”. His brother St Gregory of Nyssa wrote a book about St Gregory the Wonderworker called “The Life of Gregory the Wonderworker”.
St Gregory the Wonderworker was a man who loved simplicity and modesty. Although he wrote many eloquent letters, treatises and interpretations on Holy Books, he was a man of few words: “yes” or “no”. There was never anger or bitterness that appeared in his words or behavior and he abhorred lies and falsehoods.
St Gregory The Wonderworker is mentioned in our Liturgy in the commemoration of the Saints.
May his prayers and blessings be with us all.
“no man can say, Jesus is Lord, but in the Holy Spirit. 4Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5And there are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord. 6And there are diversities of workings, but the same God, who worketh all things in all. 7But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal. 8For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit: 9to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit; 10and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues: 11but all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as he will.”
I Corinthians 12:3-12
Saint Sophia
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." I Cor 2:9
As the Coptic year 1722 starts winding down, the feast of Nairuz approaches and we celebrate
the new incoming Year of the Martyrs 1723. Our church calendar is rich with martyrs whom we commemorate on their feast days. Some are more famous than others. Nevertheless they are all honored and cherished by our church. They have a special commemoration in our psalmodies and liturgies. Many we honor through doxologies on their feast days or when a special petition is granted through their prayers by a worshipper who asked for their help before the Lord.
Our reflection this season is on a saint who many of us know by name but know little about. She is Saint Sophia. Please see her story in the Coptic Synexarium on the fifth day of the month of Tout. St. Sophia is honored in a very special way in Constantinople (present day Istanbul, Turkey). The emperor Constantine, who changed the pagan Roman Empire into the Christian Holy Roman Empire, brought her holy body to Constantinople when he heard of the miracles that took place through it after her martyrdom. He built a great Cathedral in her honor and placed her body there.
St. Sophia, like the martyrs before and after her was persecuted because of her Christian faith at a time when being a Christian was a crime throughout the land. She refused to worship idles in spite of all the temptations placed before her. She was tortured beyond imaginable measures and confessed her Christianity and accepted with joy all the pain inflicted upon her. Knowing that a crown of martyrdom awaited her, she bowed her head willingly to have her neck cut off. In His compassion and tenderness, that cannot be out-done, the Lord allowed miracles and signs to manifest through her pure body, such as incense and lights.
St. Sophia was patient in suffering and had the gift of steadfast faith. With self-control, she was able to turn away the lures of the world for the glory of eternal life. She’s the example of what St Paul said: “I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” Phil 3:14. The Lord’s love was and is more than enough to comfort those who suffer for His name’s sake to the extent that it gives inexpressible joy as they laid down their lives for Him willingly and happily while He showed them what awaited them in His kingdom.
May the Lord give us these gifts of faith, patience and self-control, as we press on toward the prize. We commemorate this holy martyr on the 5th of Tout. May her blessings and prayers be with us.