7. Life of St. Theodora of Thessalonike - Dumbarton Oaks

St. Theodora of Thessalonike 189
29. O Christ-loving and affectionate shepherd, always keeping a watchful
eye on the salvation of her sheep! O the docility of those spiritual sheep, who
know they should heed only the voice of their shepherd 149 and refuse to follow
any other! Consider then how often the superior tearfully entreated the Lord
on their behalf, that after this penance they should not disobey her orders;
consider the disposition of the hearts of Theodora and her daughter during
the fifteen years. How great a fire must have inflamed their emotions, and what
kind of a sharply whetted sword must have cut their hearts grievously, as they
did not speak to each other at all for so many years, especially when a burdensome
task was imposed on one of them and they wanted to talk to one another
like sisters, to help each other, and could not! How often did the Devil craftily
prompt them to disobey the order, and they tearfully entreated the Lord, saying,
“Set a watch, O Lord, on my mouth and a strong door about my lips”? 150
They were never seen to utter a complaint against the superior for suppressing
their use of words and not allowing them to use speech as do all humans who
are endowed with the ability to talk. For they were often consoled [p. 126] by
repeating to themselves the divine verse of David, “I waited patiently for the
Lord, and He attended to me.” 151
30. Thus they spent fifteen years, never conversing with each other. But
in the fifteenth year of the penance it so happened that the blessed Theodora
fell ill, and all the nuns begged the superior to release them .
And she did so after delivering many admonitions. And by the grace
of God both of them remained unaffected and untroubled by
their bond of kinship, and up to the time of the blessed Theodora’s departure
unto the Lord they conversed and talked with each other as with the other
nuns, giving no thought to their relationship. Nor hereafter did the daughter
address her mother as mother, nor did the mother address her daughter as
daughter. The blessed Theodora, through her total submission and true humility,
totally destroyed and trampled under foot every proud 152 vanity and arrogance
that is hateful to God, and banished all passions from her body and
soul through the power of the Holy Spirit which guided and protected her;
149 Cf. Jn. 10:3.
150 Ps. 140 (141):3.
151 Ps. 39 (40):1.
152 Cf. 2 Cor. 10:5.