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| St, Sophia of Ainos (Feast Day - June 4) |
Verses
The world did not hinder you Sophia,
To attain perfection in the virtues.
To attain perfection in the virtues.
This Saint was from the city of Ainos, the daughter of pious parents who were well-known in that area. When she attained the proper age, her parents wedded her to a lawful husband, with whom she gave birth to six children. Even though she lived in the midst of the cares and tumults of the world, she showed through her works that the cares and tumults of the world were no hindrance to her pleasing God, who desires that we only accomplish the commandments of the Lord and pursue God-loving actions and virtues. This blessed woman was never absent from the Church of God, and even when she was in her house she would keep vigil all night and abided in prayers.
Because her children died, she became the mother of other orphan children, and greatly helped widows. She distributed all her belongings to the poor, and from that time forward passed her life according to the ways of ascetics, having as food, dried bread, and as drink, simple water. Tears were never absent from her eyes, and the Psalms of David were constantly on her lips. She became neither feeble nor neglectful in her prayers. The humility she showed towards everyone, even towards those she chanced upon or who were of no significance, was immeasurable. Her almsgiving which she made towards all the poor that came to her, was done with abundance and cheerfulness. The thrice-blessed one thought that it was better for her to be deprived, rather than allow someone who was poor to return empty-handed to their homes. Moreover, she rejoiced when she gave, and was evasive when she received.
For this reason a strange miracle took place on her behalf. She had a vessel full of wine, that was divided up to be distributed to the poor. As she would remove the wine from the vessel with her two hands, and gave it to the poor, she beheld an astonishing wonder, for the vessel remained full, without being diminished at all. As long as she kept this miracle a secret and revealed it to no one, the vessel remained full, until the following took place. Wanting to proclaim the grandeur of God, she revealed the miracle to one of her relatives, and then the vessel was not found to be as full as it once was, but it appeared empty and diminished. This greatly saddened the heart of the blessed one. Because of this she resolved and aimed that due to her unworthiness for the drying up of the miracle of God, she greatly increased her asceticism, so much so that her body became extremely dried up, and was even unable to breathe. In this way the renowned one struggled well, and was unhindered in virtue from the cares and troubles of life, in which she lived thirty-four years, though all the years of her life were fifty-three and beyond. Lastly she was tonsured and became a nun, and departed to the Lord.
