00:00On this September 11, we honor the memory of Saint Theodora,
00:07a radiant figure of the Church who marked history with his deep faith,
00:13his courage and his commitment to the service of Christ.
00:18Other saints and blesseds are also commemorated on this day,
00:22but today we choose to focus on the life of this great saint.
00:26Born in the 8th century, Theodora lived in a troubled context,
00:33marked by deep tensions within the Byzantine Empire.
00:38At that time, the Church was divided over the issue of icons.
00:43Some wanted to destroy them, considering their veneration as idolatry,
00:48while others fervently defended the spiritual and theological value of holy images.
00:53Theodora, a woman of faith and intelligence, was to play a decisive role in this controversy.
01:03Wife of Emperor Theophilus, a fiercely iconoclastic ruler,
01:08Theodora remained discreet but faithful to her faith.
01:12She prayed in secret and passed on to her children the love of holy images,
01:17despite the severe prohibitions that weighed on it.
01:21She knew that by doing so she was risking her safety,
01:25but his heart belonged to Christ and the Church.
01:29It was in patience and silent fidelity that she demonstrated her attachment to the truth.
01:36Upon the death of her husband, Theodora took over the reigns of the Empire as regent,
01:40in the name of his young son Michael III.
01:42His first gesture was an act of great audacity and deep spiritual conviction.
01:49She convened a council in Constantinople in 843 to reestablish the cult of the Holy Icons.
01:56It was a resounding victory for orthodoxy.
02:00The date of this council was fixed for the first Sunday of Lent
02:03and to this day this day is celebrated in the Eastern Church as the feast of Orthodoxy,
02:09in memory of the victory of icon veneration over iconoclasm.
02:15Saint Theodora did not just restore the images.
02:19She ruled with wisdom and mercy, protecting the poor,
02:23favoring monks and supporting artisans who had suffered persecution.
02:29She showed exceptional courage,
02:31because she knew that many supporters of iconoclasm were angry with her.
02:34Yet she remained firm, for her strength came not from politics, but from her faith.
02:42Little by little, his son Michel took the reins of power.
02:45and Theodora withdrew from public life.
02:49She chose to end her days in prayer and penance,
02:52entering a monastery where she led a simple and humble existence
02:56after ruling an empire.
02:58She died there around the year 867, surrounded by esteem and veneration.
03:06The Byzantine Church proclaimed her a saint,
03:09seeing in her a courageous woman who had saved the Christian tradition
03:13by reestablishing the cult of icons.
03:16The testimony of Saint Theodora remains of burning relevance.
03:23She reminds us that faith sometimes requires patience and discretion,
03:26but also boldness and firmness at the right time.
03:32She embodies the quiet strength of those who abandon themselves to the will of God.
03:36and put their authority, power or talent at the service of the truth.
03:43Prayer to Saint Theodora
03:45Saint Theodora, you who kept the faith in the midst of storms
03:51and restored the beauty of the holy icons,
03:55intercede for us with the Lord.
03:58Help us to keep the light of truth in our hearts.
04:03Give us the courage to defend our faith without fear.
04:06and teach us to unite gentleness and firmness,
04:10patience and courage,
04:12humility and authority.
04:13May your example guide us on the path of Christ,
04:18today and always.
04:20Amen.
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