St. Theodora was born to wealthy Christian parents in Alexandria. When she was a child, her parents wanted to give her up for marriage, so they bought many costly apparels and jewelry. However, St. Theodora desired to worship God. As a result, she sold these gifts, and used the money to help the poor, needy, and imprisoned. Additionally, she built a church west of Alexandria, and she built a private residence inside of it.
One day, Amma (Mother) Theodora desired to become a nun, so she went to Pope Athanasius the Apostolic. Once he knew of her dedication to God, St. Athanasius shaved her head and sent her to one of the convents in Egypt. Through her prayer and fasting, she fought the spiritual fight, had the ability to distinguish between angels and Satan, and was able to read the thoughts of man. St. Athanasius frequently visited her, and during his exile, he sent St. Theodora many letters with valuable sermons.
St. Theodora had many sayings on a variety of subjects. On suffering, St. Theodora said “It is good to live in peace, for the wise man practices perpetual prayer. It is truly a great thing for a virgin or a monk to live in peace, especially for the younger ones. However, you should realize that as soon as you intend to live in peace, at once evil comes and weighs down your soul through accidie, faintheartedness, and evil thoughts. It also attacks your body through sickness, debility, weakening of the knees, and all the members. It dissipates the strength of soul and body, so that one believes one is ill and no longer able to pray. But if we are vigilant, all these temptations fall away.”
On pride, Amma Theodora has said that “a teacher ought to be a stranger to the desire for domination, vain-glory, and pride; one should not be able to fool him by flattery, nor blind him by gifts, nor conquer him by the stomach, nor dominate him by anger; but he should be patient, gentle and humble as far as possible; he must be tested and without partisanship, full of concern, and a lover of souls.”
Finally, regarding humility, Amma Theodora said “neither asceticism, nor vigils nor any kind of suffering are able to save, only true humility can do that.”
St. Theodora departed when she was 100 years old on the 11th of Paramoute. May her blessings be with us all.
For Further Reading:
- The Departure of St. Theodora – 11 Baramoudah – Baramoda Month – Coptic Synaxarium | St-Takla.org
- Sayings of the Desert Fathers, St. Theodora