Byzantine Saints: Venerable Theodora and her daughter Theopiste

About this sermon

The lives of Venerable Theodora of Thessaloniki and her daughter St. Theopiste reveal the transforming power of humility, obedience, repentance, and unwavering devotion to Christ. Born in A.D. 812, Theodora (originally named Agape) endured the loss of her mother as a child, the death of two of her children, and the early loss of her husband. Renouncing the world, she entered the Monastery of St. Stephen the Protomartyr, where she spent 55 years in prayer, fasting, obedience, and humble service. Her daughter, Theopiste, was dedicated to God from childhood and eventually became abbess of the very monastery where her mother lived. In an extraordinary example of monastic discipline, mother and daughter accepted fifteen years of silence between them in order to strengthen their detachment from earthly affections. Throughout her life, St. Theodora embraced severe asceticism, cared tirelessly for the elderly Abbess Anna through illness and suffering, and endured correction with remarkable patience. After her holy repose in A.D. 892, her relics became a source of countless miracles. Her face was transformed with heavenly beauty, a sweet fragrance flowed from her relics, and a miraculous vigil lamp burned without oil before overflowing with fragrant oil that brought healing to the faithful. Today, St. Theodora is honored throughout the Orthodox world as a great wonderworker and model of humble perseverance. May the prayers of St. Theodora and St. Theopiste inspire us to pursue holiness through obedience, humility, and steadfast love for God. 🙏 Support Sensus Fidelium 🔴 Support Catholic Businesses https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ 📚 Sensus Fidelium Press https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ 📺 Sensus Fidelium Apps https://sensusfidelium.tv/ ❤️ Support Sensus Fidelium https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 📢 Advertise with Sensus Fidelium https://sensusfidelium.com/advertise-with-sensus-fidelium/ ⛪ Parish Formation https://sensusfidelium.com/for-parishes/ 📬 Newsletter https://sensusfidelium.com/newsletter/ ✍️ Substack https://sensusfidelium.substack.com/ 🛍️ Merchandise https://sensusfidelium.com/merchandise/ ⏰ Timestamps 0:00 Introduction 0:02 Birth of Agape (St. Theodora) 0:33 Childhood and Family 0:48 Betrothal and Marriage 1:10 Loss of Two Children 1:19 Offering Theopiste to God 1:41 Becoming a Nun 2:03 Fifty-Five Years of Monastic Life 2:18 A Life of Perfect Obedience 2:27 Mother and Daughter Reunited 2:45 Fifteen Years of Silence 3:07 Humility in the Snowstorm 3:38 Heavenly Crown and Angelic Chanting 4:03 Theopiste Becomes Abbess 4:17 Caring for Abbess Anna 4:49 Final Years of Asceticism 5:04 Holy Repose 5:21 Miracles at Her Funeral 5:52 Forty Days of Divine Liturgies 5:59 The Miraculous Vigil Lamp 6:37 Healing Oil Flows from the Lamp 6:59 St. Theodora the Wonderworker 7:08 The Miraculous Icon 10:20 History of the Monastery 11:21 Where Her Relics Rest Today 11:42 Feast of St. Theodora and St. Theopiste https://www.oca.org/saints/lives #StTheodora #StTheopiste #OrthodoxSaints #Thessaloniki #MonasticLife #Wonderworker #ChurchHistory #ByzantineSaints #Catholic #TraditionalCatholic #LivesOfTheSaints #SensusFidelium #August3 #SaintOfTheDay #Holiness 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻