Sts Prokopios And Constantine Protectors Of Orthodox Marriage

In the blessing at the closure of the Deified Wedding ceremony service, the prayers of St. Prokopios* (commemorated on July 8) and those of Sts. Emperors Constantine and Helen (commemorated on May 21) are requested, as they are deliberate as advocate saints of marriage. But I back been asking myself why the Clerical considers Sts. Constantine and Helen as intercessors for marriage? By mentioning them together in the service of Deified Wedding ceremony, is excitement not perpetuated (or bent) in the middle of some believers that they are spouse and wife?Smooth about the lives of these advocate saints of marriage, we find some respected similarities connecting them. Straight as Constantine the Inestimable had a strong enterprise with his mother who was instrumental in bringing him to Christ, Prokopios in addition to had a strong enterprise with his mother Theodosia. The disagreement is that Prokopios led his mother (who was a strong pagan aficionado) to Christ.Original equivalence is that both St. Constantine and St. Prokopios had a foresight of the Deified Passage. Furthermost of us are to the fore with the astonish to Constantine, which distinctive the course of Sustenance history. The foresight of the Deified Passage was instrumental in Constantine's will to make Christianity the allowed religion of the Line. It in addition to empowered his mother Helen to travel to the Deified View to find the holy sitting room everyplace our Member of the aristocracy lived, walked, educated and ministered unto us and to build churches on these sites. Indicative of St. Paul the Apostle, St. Prokopios, who was at one time a familiar in the Roman services of Diocletian, was sent to Alexandria to slap those "who acquire in the One who was crucified." Give away three o'clock in the daybreak, still on the command to Alexandria, an quiver shook the settle and hand over was lightning and crash. Prokopios heard a prepare from Illusion asking him, "O Neania (which was his name as a pagan), do you come opposed Me also?" A vibrant morose appeared in the sky and the prepare continued, "I am Jesus the Crucified One, the Son of God." The morose went up to Illusion and the prepare pull your leg over saying, "In this sign that you saw, you specter take it easy your enemy and My peace specter be with you." The Deified Passage, which led these Saints to the true tribute, associated them in the Body type of Christ and prudent their lives, is in addition to the guiding sign of Deified Wedding ceremony. The grasp of the Passage is what through these Saints the praying protectors of Deified Wedding ceremony.Of course, we state the fact that "the morose we all prerequisite sponge down" in our in imitation of of Christ is part of marriage. Nevertheless, the morose is in addition to linked with marriage, what marriage is seen as a row. This row is not a sweat connecting two make somewhere your home unappreciated to work out their differences and making the marriage (the "becoming one") work, as we make simplistically see it. This is a good row, a "belligerent" row, the spouse and next of kin become allies, and they help and breather one singular.We understand marriage in this way as a school of intrinsic worth. In marriage, the natural achievement of the pleasures of the flesh is formal by God as an declare of true love connecting a spouse and a next of kin and as a means of perpetuating mankind. In regard to this, St. Paul says, "But I say to the separated and to the widows: it is good for them if they plunk even as I am (separated): but if they cannot sport pray, let them merge. For it is breach to merge than to magnify with passions." The Passage of Christ is part of marriage, for in this sign, marriage specter put up, specter conquer, specter slap the enemies of our souls and specter find the peace of God.Sts. Constantine and Helen are deliberate as intercessors for marriage, what they were crowned emperors: "God-crowned Kings and Saints-equal-to-the-Apostles." Matrimony is in addition to called "the pinnacle" ("cununia", the Romanian word for Deified Wedding ceremony, comes from the noun "cununa", meaning cap), for in marriage, a pinnacle takes place. The new team up bound to be becomes Emperor and Sovereign, living being crowned for each other. Their pinnacle is established on Territory and in Illusion. They start a new boarding house, and a new small percentage church," which can maintain until the end of the world undeviating their offspring.To the same extent I acquire is aloof substantial is the fact that Sts. Constantine and Helen's crowns were traditional in Illusion. We know the exact thing about St. Prokopios, who died as a subject for the tribute in Christ. From the Heavenly place, these saints pray that the crowned servants of God in Deified Wedding ceremony specter in addition to become heroic of the Heavenly Affirm.Let those of us who crass the crowns of Deified Wedding ceremony, be more exciting that marriage specter put up simply similar to it is under the protection of the sign of the Deified Passage.Let us in addition to be more exciting that, finally, marriage is not a intention in itself, but a means for the Sustenance of our souls. In this ponder, the prayer of the priest at the pinnacle is meaningful: "Sanctify their goings out and their comings in; top up their life with good things; crass their crowns clothed in Your terrestrial, preserving them blameless, honorable, and short guilt, unto ages of ages."Sound* It essential be noted that the name "Prokopios" means "to advance" or "to move course" or "to kindness" or "to intensification". In the maintain prayer trendy the Bolster of Wedding ceremony, similar to St. Prokopios is invoked, it is prayed that the newly-crowned team up "advance" or "move course" () in their tribute in Christ. In the hymns perceptive to St. Prokopios we pray that in words of one syllable as he "advanced" in tribute, that he in addition to lead us to "advance" in Christ and good works. This is the pin reason St. Prokopios is invoked trendy the Bolster of Wedding ceremony. [J.S.]