புனிதர் இளைய மேக்ரினா ✠(St. Macrina the Younger July 19

† இன்றைய புனிதர் †

(ஜூலை 19)

✠ புனிதர் இளைய மேக்ரினா ✠

(St. Macrina the Younger)

அருட்சகோதரி:

(Nun)

பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 330

சேசரா, கப்படோசியா, துருக்கி

(Caesarea, Cappadocia, Turkey)

இறப்பு: ஜூலை 19, 379

போன்டஸ்

(Pontus)

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Eastern Orthodox Church)

ஓரியண்டல் மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Oriental Orthodoxy)

ஆங்கிலிக்கன் சமூகம்

(Anglican Communion)

லூதரன் திருச்சபை

(Lutheranism)

நினைவுத் திருநாள்: ஜூலை 19

புனிதர் இளைய மேக்ரினா, ஆதிகால கிறிஸ்தவ திருச்சபைகளின் (Early Christian Church) அருட்சகோதரியும், முக்கியமான புனிதருமாவார். இவரது உடன் பிறந்த இளைய சகோதரரான “புனிதர் கிரகோரி” (Saint Gregory of Nyssa) இவரைப் பற்றி எழுதுகையில், கன்னித்தன்மையைப் போற்றும் இவரது தீவிரம் பற்றியும், பொதுவாக மத காரணங்களுக்காக, கடுமையான சுய ஒழுக்கம் மற்றும் அனைத்து விதமான இவ்வுலக விருப்பங்கள் மற்றும் பழக்கவழக்கங்களையும் தவிர்த்து வாழ்ந்தவர் என எழுதிவைத்தார்.

துருக்கி (Turkey) நாட்டின் “கப்படோசியா” (Cappadocia) பிராந்தியத்தின் “சேசரா” (Caesarea) எனும் பெரிய நகரில் பிறந்த இவரது தந்தையார், “மூத்த பாசில்” (Basil the Elder) ஆவார். தாயாரின் பெயர், “எம்மெலியா” (Emmelia) ஆகும். புனிதர் “மூத்த மேக்ரினா” (Saint Macrina the Elder) இவரது பாட்டி ஆவார். இவருடன் உடன்பிறந்த ஒன்பது சகோதரர்களுள் இருவரான, புனிதர் “பெரிய பாசில்” (Basil the Great) மற்றும் புனிதர் “கிரகோரி” (Saint Gregory of Nyssa) ஆகியோர், “கப்படோசிய தந்தையர்” (Cappadocian Fathers) என்று அழைக்கப்படும் மூவரில் இருவர் ஆவர். புனிதர் “பீட்டர்” (Peter of Sebaste) மற்றும் பிரபல கிறிஸ்தவ நீதிபதியான புனிதர் “நவ்கிரேஷியஸ்” (Naucratius) ஆகியோரும் இவரது சகோதரர்கள் ஆவர்.

அவரது தந்தை அவருக்கு திருமணம் செய்ய ஏற்பாடு செய்தார். ஆனால் அவரது வருங்கால கணவர், திருமணத்திற்கு முன் இறந்து போனார். ஒருவருடன் திருமண உறுதி செய்துகொண்டதன் பிறகு, மற்றொரு மனிதரை திருமணம் செய்வது பொருத்தமானது என்று மேக்ரினா நம்பவில்லை. ஆனால், கிறிஸ்துவையே தமது நித்திய மணமகனாக ஏற்றுக்கொண்டார். அதற்கு பதிலாக, அவர் தனது மதத்திற்கு தன்னை அர்ப்பணித்து, ஒரு கன்னியாஸ்திரியாக மாறினார்.

மேக்ரினா, தனது சகோதரர்கள் மற்றும் தமது தாயின் மீது, “ஆன்மீக இலக்குகளை அடைய வேண்டுமென்ற நோக்கத்திற்காக, சிற்றின்ப இன்பமயங்களில் இருந்து விலகுவதால் குணப்படுத்தப்படும் துறவற வாழ்க்கைக்கான” (Ascetic Ideal) ஒரு ஆழ்ந்த செல்வாக்கு கொண்டிருந்தார்.

இவரது சகோதரர் “கிரகோரி” (Gregory of Nyssa), “மேக்ரினாவின் வாழ்க்கை” (Life of Macrina) எனும் பெயரில் எழுதிய சரிதத்தில், இவரது வாழ்க்கை முழுதும் இவர் கடைபிடித்த அருளுடைமை அல்லது புனிதம் பற்றி எழுதியிருந்தார். ஒரு சாந்தமான, பணிவான மற்றும் எளிய வாழ்க்கை வாழ்ந்த மேக்ரினா, தமது நேரத்தை செபிப்பதிலும், தமது இளைய சகோதரர் பீட்டருக்கு ஆன்மீக கல்வி பயிற்றுவதிலுமே செலவிட்டார். இவரது மூத்த சகோதரர் கிரகோரி இவருக்கு கற்பித்த பண்டைய கலாச்சார கல்வி அனைத்தையும் முழு மனதுடன் நிராகரித்த மேக்ரினா, வேதாகமம் மற்றும் பிற புனித நூல்களின் அர்ப்பணிப்பு ஆய்வுகளைத் தேர்ந்தெடுத்து கற்றார்.

கருங்கடலின் (Black Sea) தென்கரையோரமுள்ள வரலாற்று ஸ்தலமான “போன்டஸ்” (Pontus) எனுமிடத்திலுள்ள தமது குடும்ப தோட்டத்தை தமது இளைய சகோதரர் பீட்டரின் உதவியுடன் ஒரு துறவற மடாலயமாகவும் பள்ளியாகவும் மாற்றியமைத்து அங்கேயே வாழ்ந்திருந்த மேக்ரினா, 379ம் ஆண்டு, ஜூலை மாதம், 19ம் நாளன்று மரித்தார். தமது மரண படுக்கையிலும் கூட, புனிதமான வாழ்க்கையைத் தொடர்ந்த மேக்ரினா, படுக்கையை வெறுத்து வெறும் தரையிலேயே படுத்தார். புனிதர் மேக்ரினா, ஒரு புனிதமான கிறிஸ்தவ பெண்மணியாக இருப்பதற்கான தரங்களை நிர்ணயிக்க முடிந்தது. கன்னித்தன்மை, "கடவுளுடைய பிரகாசமான தூய்மையை” (Radiant Purity of God) பிரதிபலிக்கிறது என்பதை அவர் நம்பினார்.

† Saint of the Day †

(July 19)

✠ St. Macrina the Younger ✠

Nun:

Born: 327 AD

Caesarea, Cappadocia

Died: July 19, 379

Pontus

Venerated in:

Roman Catholic Church

Eastern Orthodox Church

Oriental Orthodoxy

Anglican Communion

Lutheranism

Feast: July 19

Saint Macrina the Younger was a nun in the Early Christian Church and is a prominent saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox churches. Her younger brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, wrote about her life focusing heavily on her virginity and asceticism.

Macrina was born at Caesarea, Cappadocia. Her parents were Basil the Elder and Emmelia, and her grandmother was Saint Macrina the Elder. Among her nine siblings were two of the three Cappadocian Fathers, her younger brothers Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nyssa, as well as Peter of Sebaste and the famous Christian jurist Naucratius. Her father arranged for her to marry but her fiancé died before the wedding. After having been betrothed to her fiancé, Macrina did not believe it was appropriate to marry another man but saw Christ as her eternal bridegroom. Instead, she devoted herself to her religion, becoming a nun.

At age 12, Macrina was engaged to be married, but when her fiancé died, she decided she would not marry. She dedicated her life to helping raise her brothers well and to assist her mother. After her siblings had grown up and were completely formed, they used to call her Macrina the Great, as they had in their childhood, a sign of the high respect they had for her. 

When she became gravely ill and was close to death, St. Gregory of Nyssa went to see her. He found her laying on a wood board and wearing a hair-shirt. He carefully lifted her and placed her on a bed. The dying woman, seeing her last hour was at hand, remembered all the good things God had given her during her lifetime and gave glory to Him. She said:

“Oh, Lord! Thou didst destroy the fear of death. Because of Thy sacrifice, true life begins when the present life finishes. We will sleep for a while and then, to the sound of the trumpet, we will resurrect. Thou didst save us from the curse of the sin, redeeming us from both sin and its curse.”

Kissing an iron Crucifix that held the relics of the Cross of the Savior, which she always had close to her, St. Macrina serenely died in the year 379. She was buried beside her parents.

Comments:

This selection appears a bit sparse since it only tells us the names of her parents and brothers, and that she helped to raise the latter. Afterward, she died piously.

Let me see if this sparseness can be filled with some considerations on the feminine life suggested by the life of St. Macrina. 

Until the explosion of the feminist movement in the post-World War I era, there was an idea about the feminine lifestyle that we should conserve and emphasize, above all in this epoch when the disgusting unisex way of life has been accepted. 

This idea is born from the most elementary truth: Women and men are very different, even if both are part of the same human genre. Therefore, they have different roles in life. 

It is proper for the man to provide for the needs of the family and to work to earn sufficient means for that. For the woman, it is proper to stay inside the home and provide for man a warm and ordered house, a true treasure. 

That is, the woman should bear his children and raise them well. After the children’s education is complete and they have married, the role of the woman is to be the natural center of the family. Her home becomes the meeting point for the children and grandchildren. Therefore, it is normal that she spends her life inside the home. 

I am not saying that the woman should live in a kind of Muslim harem, never going out. But I am supporting the idea that going out is not proper for a lady with an authentic feminine spirit. The place where a woman finds her entertainment and completes her personality is her own home. As an extension of it, she also visits the homes of her close relatives and special friends. She should visit them often, but not every day.

What should the lady do inside her home? She should be receiving her children and grandchildren, taking care of the home, leading a calm and serene life, and praying. The nature of a woman calls for recollection, calm, and tranquility.

While the nature of a man calls for him to go outside the home, to engage in activities and battles, the nature of a woman asks for this recollected lifestyle. This kind of life offers circumstances for her to save her soul and become a saint. 

Until the feminist movement, this was the traditional way of being for women. 

It was normal for ladies to not leave their homes. They went out to go to Sunday Mass and make some visits. The daughters who wanted to marry used to go out a little more, often for shopping or for some infrequent and very respectable party. Otherwise, their normal life revolved around the home. 

This way of life permeated with calm and piety could lead a lady with the proper spirit to a high level of sanctity. At any rate, this tranquil lifestyle tended to lead to the formation of solid feminine virtue, which made the woman the moral axis of the entire family. 

You can see that this most probably was how St. Macrina lived. She accomplished her mission on earth by helping to raise three saints for the Church and transmitting to them the education she received from her parents, who were also saintly. She was, therefore, a kind of funnel through which sanctity passed from two reservoirs of sanctity to three others. 

She stayed at home, leading a normal life, taking care of the house, cooking, directing the servants, and dedicating a good part of her time to prayers. She did all this with a supernatural spirit and became a great saint.

She is, for that reason, a model to those ladies who should live normal holy lives. She also represents the opposite of the frenetic agitation of today’s lifestyle that is contrary to the feminine spirit. 

The selection showed how the end of her life was crowned with many graces: 

First, it was crowned by the presence of St. Gregory of Nyssa who assisted her in her last moments.

Second, she spoke those beautiful words before dying. They were words of faith, of a person who knew that her life was not truly ending, but that her body would resurrect from its ashes at the end of the world. She also had confidence in Divine Mercy that she would be received in Heaven. 

Third, she died with the consolation of having a Crucifix with a relic of Our Lord’s Cross in her hands. 

The goal of Christian Civilization, from a certain point of view, is to create a state of things where everything invites one to the practice of virtue and works against the practice of vice. It is precisely the opposite of modern civilization, where everything invites one to the practice of vice and works against the practice of virtue. 

Christian Civilization created for St. Macrina conditions to walk unencumbered along the pathway to Heaven. I am not saying that it makes the path to Heaven easy because it is never easy. 

Question – Could you explain why contemporary life is opposed to the nature of women? 

Let me present an example of the opposite. Imagine a man who, because of some crucial misfortune, has to take a job comprised of cooking for children, serving them their meals, and playing with them all day to distract them. This man may become effeminate if he does not fight against the tendency toward the feminine that exists in that ambiance, because to exercise this role is contrary to his male nature.

The opposite is also true. The feminist movement took the woman out of the house, insisted that she go everywhere, and do things that normally men should do – studies, business activities with the obsessive pursuit of a profit in everything. 

The first thing that is contrary to the nature of the woman in this process is that she loses her purity. In times past, even while women were much more modestly dressed, a lady never used to leave the house without a companion: another lady, a child, a servant. Why? To protect her purity. It was not because she was under suspicion of meeting with a man and falling into sin, but rather to guard the precious treasure of her purity and give public testimony of that. She needed to feel this protection because her nature is delicate and the treasure of her purity is priceless. 

Today, on the contrary, women go everywhere and that sense of purity has disappeared in countless families. Even when they are not having illicit meetings or committing bad actions, the fact that they go out by themselves without any companion opens the door for true or imaginary suspicions, and her reputation may suffer. These bad consequences were wisely avoided in the past because of the good protocol in place for women. How can children be morally well raised and psychologically balanced when there is a suspicion regarding the purity of their mother? How can a woman be respected when she takes no care to preserve her reputation? This confidence of her children and the respect of society are indispensable for a woman to develop her personality properly.

Then came the studies and careers for women. I am not saying that women should not study. But I think that they should choose studies proper to their nature. I am also not saying that, when it is an imperative necessity, women should not work. If it is a necessity, they should, but they should always be fighting to avoid assuming the manly characteristics of the workplace that would distort their feminine nature. As soon as there is no longer a necessity, she should abandon that work. 

All these considerations regarding the delicacy of women do not mean that I think that women are meant to be only sentimental, without any exercise of reason. Women, like men, are rational creatures. Therefore, they should be persons of principles, like the strong woman of Scriptures. Like St. Teresa of Avila who often ended letters to her religious daughters with this advice: “Hijas Mias, nosed Mujica's” [My daughters, do not be foolish little women]. 

These are some considerations inspired by the life of St. Macrina, a woman of principles who was called Macrina the Great by her saintly brothers.