A Reflection for Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Find today’s readings here.
She was the ultimate eldest daughter.
Today is the Feast of St. Macrina, the oldest of ten children who had not one, not two, but three siblings who were also saints. They were St. Basil, St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Peter of Sebaste. St. Macrina helped raise her siblings and teach them the faith. And she was not afraid to exert her formidable influence.
In Voices of the Saints, Bert Ghezzi shares this anecdote:
Gregory of Nyssa, her biographer, reported that when Basil returned from Athens University all puffed up with self-importance, Macrina put him in his place—as only an older sister can. Apparently she persuaded her extremely talented brother to become a monk and subordinate his gifts to God’s purposes.
As the oldest of nine children, I can only say I wish I had that kind of power over my siblings.
Thanks to St. Gregory’s biography, we have an account of Macrina’s final days, and the prayer she offered shortly before her death. It’s worth quoting in full:
O Lord, you have freed us from the fear of death. You have made the end of life here the beginning of a true life for us. You who compassionately gave paradise back to the man crucified with you, remember me also in your kingdom. If I have committed sins in word, deed or thought because of the weakness of our nature, don’t let your eyes discover them. You who have power on earth to forgive sins, forgive me so that I may be refreshed. May I be found before you once I have put off my body, having no fault in the form of my soul. May my soul be received into your hands, blameless and spotless, as an offering before you.
It’s a remarkable testament of faith. One can see why “[f]or her brothers, Macrina would always be the still eye of the storm” (Peter Brown, The Body and Society, pg. 278).
We all need models of faith, and we are fortunate when our families play that role well into adulthood. Even (gulp) younger siblings can teach us a thing or two.
I am left pondering these questions. Who has helped me to weather the storms of life? And for whom have I been “a still eye in the storm”?
St. Macrina, eldest daughter, pray for us.
