Sts Peter and Fevronia – Family Life

Today is a special day of commemoration and celebration in the Russian Orthodox Church. On this third Sunday of September we remember and honor Holy Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia of Murom. Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom are the patrons of marriage and family and are held before us as examples of love and fidelity.

Let me share with you briefly about these great saints…

Peter and Fevronia were benevolent rulers and always helped their people with alms and prayers. They treated all as if they were their own children. They loved everyone equally, and disliked only those who were proud or who exploited the people. Peter and Fevronia laid up their treasures, not on earth, but in heaven. They were real pastors of their city. They always ruled with truth and humility, and never with anger. They gave shelter to pilgrims, fed the hungry, and clothed the naked. And they helped the poor in their misfortune.

When death was nearing, Peter and Fevronia prayed to God that they both might die in the same hour. And they requested that they be buried in the same tomb and in a common coffin in which their bodies would be separated only by a partition. Before their deaths they took monastic vows, Prince Peter becoming Brother David, and Princess Fevronia, Sister Euphrosinia.

After their deaths, some of the people decided that Prince Peter should be buried in the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin, which was within the walls of the city of Murom, and that Princess Fevronia should be buried in the Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, which was outside the walls of the city. The body of Prince Peter was put in a casket and was placed in the cathedral, where it was left overnight. The body of Princess Fevronia was put in another casket and placed in the church outside the city walls. A tomb, which had earlier been carved from a huge rock as a resting-place for Peter and Fevronia, remained empty in the yard of the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin.

The next morning the people went to the caskets of Peter and Fevronia and found them empty. The bodies of the holy prince and princess were found together in the tomb of stone, which they had ordered prepared for them. The people, not understanding the meaning of this event, once more placed the bodies in separate caskets. On the following day the bodies of Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia were once again found together in the tomb of stone. Since that time no man has dared to disturb their holy bodies, but left them in their common tomb in the yard of the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin, which is located in the city of Murom. To this day, those who approach the holy relics of Peter and Fevronia with prayer, always receive comfort and healing.

In honor of these beloved saints, the Russian Orthodox Church marks the Sunday before their feast as a special day of blessing and honor for Orthodox families.

Our dear friend, Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe, recently commented on marriage and family life. Here it a segment of what he had to say:

‘True family is not a creation of human society, nor less of any individual’s or couple’s design. True family is God’s creation, God’s gift. It is His bestowal upon those He has created for one another, of a life in which the ascent to godliness can be realized. It is an arena of ascetical growth, and transformation into the life of the Gospel — a life in which husband, wife, and whatsoever children as the Lord may grant them find in each other a divine help in the sacred and joy-creating task of growing into the eternal Life of the Creator. The family is sometimes called a ‘small Church’, because in it, as in the Church which is our mother, diverse members are united into one body that lives and breathes together; and, just as in the Church man receives directly the grace-bearing blessings of the Divine Mysteries, so in the family there is more than only the emotional love of man and woman, or the structures of protection and care of parent for child. In the family, God’s grace pours forth into the hearts of His creatures. A family is a means of direct encounter with the transformative Grace of Almighty God.

This is why marriage is a Sacrament of the Church. In Holy Communion we directly receive the divine presence of God. In Baptism, we directly receive God’s presence. And so in the other Mysteries; and indeed, so too in marriage. We do not pronounce a ‘vow’ in this Sacrament, because true marriage is not a contract or plan. Rather, we place crowns upon the heads of the bride and bridegroom, because what comes upon them in the Mystery of marriage is the divine grace to live a new life: the life of martyrdom into glory. And a crown is the sign of both. When Orthodox Christians think of crowns, we think of those conferred upon the holy martyrs in Paradise, as well as those laid upon the heads of kings. Through the divine Grace of marriage, a couple receives the power to martyrically attain the transfiguration of life that leads to royal glory in the Kingdom.

My brothers and sisters… I call upon you all to cherish as a most precious gift from God the reality of true marriage and family in this world. Whatever may be the debasements of these things that we see in the secular world around us, let the Saints be for us the witnesses of reality. For those of you crowned in this glory, who are husbands and wives: hold fast to the sacredness of this mystical union. Be faithful to what the Lord has given you! Use it well! For those who look towards marriage in the future, seek even today to understand it aright, and to approach it with due awe and reverence, as a Divine Mystery that might bring you closer to your Savior. And to each and everyone: honor your family — for we are all of us members of a family. Support each other’s families. Encourage in each other this life of shared ascetical devotion to God, Who will reward us all with the bounties of His love.’

May the Bishop’s words enlighten us to understand the beauty and the meaning of marriage and of family life. It is within this context of such close association with others that our Christian faith is tested and refined. Marriage and family life bless us with love and tenderness, but they also test us with patience, striving to be kind, and with self-sacrifice. All of these things build Christian virtue – and this is the point of our marriages and of our life within the family.

It is a special blessing that on this very day, our dear parishioners Michael and Sophia are being married at the Russian Orthodox Church in Ohio, near Michael’s family. Fr Andrew and several of our parishioners are there to celebrate and witness this blessed union today. May God grant them His blessings and may Sts Peter and Fevronia be their patrons and intercessors, helping them on their path of salvation together.

May God bless us and be with us and our families on this day on which we commemorate the holy Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia. It is a day of blessing and celebration of marriage, the family, and fidelity to God and one another. May God bless our marriages, our families, and our parish community… and may God bless every sacrifice we make toward faithfulness, kindness toward one another, and self-giving love.