His Beatitude: What can female Christians learn from myrrh-bearing women?

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: UOC's Press Service

In his sermon delivered on May 4, 2025, the Sunday of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women, Metropolitan Onuphry spoke in detail about the pious women who followed Christ, witnessed His crucifixion, and were the first to learn of His Resurrection.

"The day of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women is our women's day in the Orthodox Church. Every woman should strive to be at least a little like the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women – to serve God, to love God, to serve her family, to love her husband, to love her children, and to raise them in the fear of God and in faith," the Primate emphasized.

Metropolitan Onuphry especially highlighted the example of patience and fidelity shown by Joanna, the wife of Chuza, the steward of King Herod. Despite the fact that her husband was not a follower of Christ, she did not leave him, while remaining faithful to the Savior.

"And even if her husband is not the way she would like him to be, she must endure. Not like it is nowadays: 'He’s not the kind of husband I wanted, I’ll divorce him.' One must endure," His Beatitude exhorted.

In his sermon, the Primate also spoke of other renowned Myrrh-bearing Women: Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of Cleophas, Salome, Susanna, and the sisters of Lazarus – Martha and Mary. Each of them displayed deep devotion to Christ, serving Him both during His earthly life and after His death.

Turning to men, Metropolitan Onuphry called on them to learn from the righteous Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who, though members of the Sanhedrin, did not fear to render final honors to Christ by taking His body down from the Cross and laying it in a new tomb.

"May the Lord strengthen all of us and help us to become better, to become like the saints, so that we may partake of that eternal blessedness which the Lord has granted to the world through His Resurrection," concluded His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry.

Previously, the UOJ wrote about the feast of the Myrrh-bearing Women.

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