St Euphrasia St Euphrasia was the daughter of Antigonus, a senator of Constantinople (Turkey), who was related to the Emperor Theodosius I. Antigonus having died shortly after the birth of his daughter, Theodosius took the widow and the child under his protection and, as was the custom, arranged a betrothal for Euphrasia at the age of five, to the son of a wealthy senator. But the widow herself began to be sought in marriage, whereupon she withdrew from the court and, with Euphrasia, went to Egypt where they settled down near a convent of nuns. At seven, Euphrasia was greatly drawn to the convent life and begged her mother to allow her to stay there. Reluctantly, her mother agreed and the abbess told her that the grace of God was working in Euphrasia. Meanwhile she declined her betrothed who by then desired the marriage. Now 12 and an heiress, she wrote to Emperor Arcadius, seeking to be allowed to follow her vocation and requesting him to use her parents’ property for the good of the poor and to enfranchise all her slaves. Arcadius complied with her requests. Euphrasia, for her part, took up hard and humbling tasks to divert her attention from the world, to which she was sometimes tempted to return. She complied cheerfully with whatever was expected of her. Years later, as she lay on her death-bed, Julia who shared her cell, besought her to obtain for her the grace of being with her in heaven. The Saint died and three days after, Julia followed suit. Russian usage has St Euphrasia named in the preparation of the Byzantine Mass. Reflection:“Christ does not force our will. He takes only what we give him. But he does not give himself entirely until he sees that we yield ourselves entirely to him” (St Teresa of Avila).
