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| St. Nina (Feast Day - January 14) |
By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas
Saint Nina was born in the 3rd century A.D. in Cappadocia to pious parents: Zebulon, who was a relative of the Holy Great Martyr George the Trophy-Bearer, and Susanna. Her father was a renowned general of the Roman army during the reign of Emperor Maximian. However, out of great love for Christ, he abandoned the army and, with the consent of his wife, became a monk in the desert of the Jordan. Her mother was the sister of Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, and after her husband’s departure to the desert of the Jordan, she was appointed — by the bishop’s blessing — as a deaconess at the Holy Church of the Resurrection of Christ, having first entrusted their daughter Nina to the most devout Eldress Nikephora, who raised her “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” That is, she taught her prayer, participation in the worship of the Church, and the study of the God-inspired Scriptures. For this reason Nina’s heart was filled with love for God and for human beings, and she desired to preach the gospel, like the Apostles.
When she reached adulthood, following an exhortation of the Most Holy Theotokos, she journeyed to what is now Georgia. There, through her inspired preaching, her radiant example, and the miracles that God worked through her, she succeeded in drawing people away from lifeless idols and leading them to the true faith — first the rulers of Georgia, King Mirian and Queen Nana, and then the people, that is, the simple folk as well as those of the so-called higher social classes. To this day the people of Georgia honor Saint Nina and regard her as the patroness of their country, after Saint George. She reposed in peace, and her holy relic remained incorrupt.
Her life and conduct give us occasion to emphasize the following:
First, every human being is different from all others, possessing his or her own distinctive characteristics, personality, and gifts. Yet this does not prevent anyone from coming to know God and attaining spiritual rebirth — personal sanctification. In order to achieve this, however, one must entrust oneself with confidence to the Providence of God, to be guided as He knows best, according to the Psalmic saying: “A man’s steps are directed by the Lord.” Then a person “walks rightly in the paths of the Lord,” comes to know God, and acquires inner fulfillment and meaning in life. And when a person is reborn, then, like a magnet, he draws to himself all those “restless” people who seek the Truth and long to know their Creator. Having freed them from their enslavement to idols of every kind, he leads them onto the path of God’s commandments. Indeed, the “new man,” reborn by the grace of God, becomes an unerring teacher who, like a shining beacon, illuminates, guides, and inspires by his word — and above all by his radiant example — and leads people to the safe harbor of God’s commandments, to the eternal glory of Paradise. In other words, when the content of Orthodox preaching has Christ as its center and expresses the teaching of the Church as expounded by the God-seers — that is, the Prophets, the Apostles, and the Holy Fathers — it touches the human heart inwardly, so that from its depths there wells up sweet consolation, ineffable joy, and profound peace.
Second, all people, regardless of the social class to which they belong or the profession they practice, have the possibility of coming to know the living God through the Holy Spirit and of being united with Him in the person of the God-man Jesus Christ. What ultimately prevents a person from believing in the true God, knowing Him, loving Him, and loving all His creatures is pride, which arises from various causes, such as human knowledge and authority. Indeed, human knowledge and every form of authority, when separated from the grace of God, give birth to pride, which hardens the heart and cools love for God and for others. For this reason, as Saint Sophrony the Athonite says, “the poor who suffer and endure have the possibility of loving God more than those who are satisfied with their position as a ruling class in society,” and therefore “the latter are less capable of loving God.”
Nevertheless, all can come to know and truly love God and all His creation if they genuinely desire it, struggle for it, and at the same time pray, asking for God’s strength. Saint Silouan the Athonite, speaking of this, writes: “One has the obedience of being a king, another a patriarch, a third some other ministry, a fourth a simple laborer” — and these things “do not matter.” What matters is love for God and for human beings, which brings a person close to God, for “the one who loves will be closer to God in eternity.” Another thing that prevents a person from believing in the true God is “intrusive thoughts,” which, as Saint Sophrony the Athonite says, are formed by thoughts that “are contrary to the spirit of Christ’s commandments.” And when a person does not know how to counter such thoughts, he becomes their slave. Indeed, as he emphasizes, “some reach the point of becoming the plaything of a single thought, from which they can no longer be freed,” and “then we speak of an intrusion.”
Healing from pride and intrusive thoughts is not easy; however, it is not impossible, since “what is impossible for men is possible with God.” When a person “repels pride” and despises and drives away impassioned thoughts with the strength of courage and the incense of prayer — just as a beekeeper, in order to harvest honey, drives away the bees with smoke — then he gathers the sweetest honey of the grace of God. Therefore, when a person, by the grace of God and his own noble struggle, is freed from pride and intrusive thoughts, then with simplicity and humility he will come to know the simple and humble God “in the Holy Spirit,” and he will acquire selfless love, which is noble and sacrificial.
Source: translated by John Sanidopoulos.
