St. Aelia Pulcheria
Born: January 19, 399
Died: July 453
Feast day: September 10
Patron saint of: N/A
Pulcheria was a daughter of the emperor Arcadius, and her role was often one of great power and faithfulness. Whether empress or regent, she ebbed and flowed in title but remained committed to governing fairly and faithfully. Throughout her life and her reign, Pulcheria remained a devout Christian, and her court was one of great piety and decorum. She attended the Council of Chalcedon to much acclaim. As empress, she built many churches and gave great sums of wealth to the poor. She was very present at the tables of decision-making in the secular world and in the world of the church. Pulcheria’s life witnesses to us the adage that “of whom much is given, much is expected”; she used the opportunities afforded to her to advance the gospel and advocate for the church. Wherever we find ourselves, we too should honor the opportunities given to us as moments of encounter, accompaniment, evangelization, and authentic Christian witness.
Image: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
