On these days the Greek Orthodox Church is commemorating three holy women: 
St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the GreatSt Basil the Great’s mother St Emilia was the daughter of a martyr. On the Greek calendar, she is commemorated on May 30.
“>St. Emilia—the mother of St. Basil the Great—“Universal Teacher”Hierarch Basil the Great is one of the Church’s most remarkable theologians. His influence on the fortunes of the Church spread far beyond the borders of his homeland and is still felt in our days.”>St. Basil the Great; the Righteous Nonna—the mother of St. Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of ConstantinopleSaint Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople, a great Father and teacher of the Church, was born into a Christian family of eminent lineage in the year 329, at Arianzos.”>St. Gregory the Theologian; and St. Anthusa—the mother of St. John Chrysostom“>St. John Chrysostom. Each of them has set us an example of piety, unshakable faith, true humility, self–sacrifice, and grateful service to the Lord, but most importantly, they all invested these talents in the great men who, many centuries later, still speak to the whole world about the Almighty today. Having raised their children entrusted to them by God, these mothers preserved in their hearts a deep reverence for the Heavenly Father and, through numerous efforts, strengthened by prayer, they multiplied the seeds of love and diligence sown into the young souls. Besides, despite their different destinies, the mothers of the Three Holy Hierarchs are very similar in their amazing faithfulness to the family and deep active prayer—the most powerful motherly prayer, which guides us to the Truth like a beacon. And we modern mothers, who care about the well-being of our children, definitely have a lot to learn from these illustrious women saints who lived in the fourth century.
The one who raised six saints
St. Emilia of Caesarea (Cappadocia) was born in Caesarea between 305 and 315. Her family was quite wealthy and owned vast lands in Asia Minor. In her youth St. Emilia was very beautiful, but she was a devout Christian and was preparing to live in celibacy. Under Emperor Licinius (308–324) her father was martyred, and St. Emilia had to marry a pious lawyer named Basil, which saved the young woman from being abducted for forced marriage—a widespread practice at that time.
Later her husband Basil became a priest. The couple gave large sums of money to charity, helping the poor and receiving pilgrims. St. Emilia raised as many as ten children in her marriage. We know six of them as saints: Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia; Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa; Peter, Bishop of Sebaste; the Righteous Naucratius; the Venerable Macrina the Younger; and Blessed Theosebia. Another of her sons, Nicephorus, died as an infant, and there is no information about the other children.
Her eldest daughter Macrina and another daughter Emilia retired to an estate on the banks of the River Iris and founded a convent there. Some of the freed female slaves went with them. They shared everything they needed to live equally and served the Lord humbly, meekly, and with love. The most important thing for them was prayer and Divine contemplation.
Before her repose, the sick Emilia was cared for by her youngest son Peter and St. Macrina. When her soul was about to be separated from her body, St. Emilia gave her maternal blessing to all of her children. Then her soul departed to Heaven with these words: “To Thee, O Lord, I am offering the first fruit and the tithe of the fruits of my womb. The first fruit is this firstborn daughter, and the tenth is this last son! In the Old Testament Thou commanded us to offer Thee the first fruit and the tithe of the fruits: may they be a sacrifice pleasing to Thee, and may Thy holiness come down on them!” St. Emilia fell asleep in the Lord at the age of seventy-three.
The one who showed the path to God
St. Nonna of Nazianzus, the mother of St. Gregory the Theologian, was born in the late third century into a Christian family. Her parents were the Christians Philtatus and Gorgonia and her brother was St. Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium. St. Nonna married a pagan and gave birth to a daughter, Gorgonia, and sons, Gregory and Caesarius, whom she raised as Christians.
Her husband Gregory of Arianza, a mayor and wealthy landowner in the Cappadocia region of Asia Minor, practiced fire worship. St. Nonna prayed fervently for him to get to know the Truth. Her son, the future St. Gregory the Theologian, wrote that she “prostrated herself to pray to God day and night, fasting and entreating Him with many tears to grant salvation to her husband.”
And the Lord answered the woman’s prayers. One night her husband had a vision in a dream: He saw himself singing a verse from a psalm of David: I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord (Ps. 121:1). This singing was unprecedented in its wondrousness, and together with the song a desire to serve the Lord suddenly appeared in his soul. Gregory told his wife about the dream that had so excited him. She was overjoyed and assured her husband that this was a good sign. Then Gregory converted to the True God—it was at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea. He was ordained priest, and then consecrated Bishop of Nazianzus. His wife, St. Nonna, was made a deaconess.
In 359, St. Nonna’s son Gregory returned to his homeland after studying and was baptized by his father. Two years later he became a priest, and afterwards the Patriarch of Constantinople. He later received from the Church the honorary title of “Theologian,” because he became one of the most insightful and profound spiritual writers. St. Nonna endured the deaths of her youngest son Caesarius and her daughter with humility and submission to the will of God.
Her husband, Bishop Gregory, as a very old man participated in the consecration of St. Basil the Great as Bishop of Caesarea. The holy eldress Nonna fell seriously ill, but through the prayers of her son the Lord prolonged her earthly life.
St. Gregory the Theologian wrote that for some time St. Nonna had eaten absolutely nothing, but at some point she was noticeably getting better. Later he found out that in her dreams his mother saw him, her son, giving her bread to eat by his prayer, and she believed it to be real. St. Nonna would regain strength by this: “When, at daybreak, I visited her early in the morning as usual, I saw her in better condition for the first time. Then I asked her: ‘What sort of night have you had and do you need anything right now?’ She replied volubly without hesitating for a moment: ‘My dear son, you yourself have fed me, and now you are inquiring about my health? You are very kind and compassionate!’ At that time the maids made signs to me not to contradict her, but accept her words indifferently so as not to discourage her by revealing the truth.”
St. Nonna reposed in 374 while praying in the church.
The one who opened the beauty of the Scriptures to her son
St. Anthusa of Antioch, the mother of St. John Chrysostom, was Greek by birth. Her husband Secundus, a very devout Christian, served as an official in Antioch. St. Anthusa was widowed at the age of twenty: Her husband died shortly after the birth of their second child, son John. St. Anthusa never remarried and wholly devoted herself to raising her two children—her son, the future St. John Chrysostom, and his elder sister.
St. Anthusa was a well-educated woman for her time. She did not need money, having a considerable fortune. As a test, St. Anthusa endured the death of her very young daughter with humility. She stayed with her son, to whom she devoted all her cares, hopes and love. St. John received the best upbringing of that time. His mother taught him his first lessons in reading and writing. Since her favorite reading was the Holy Scriptures, the first words that St. John read were from the pages of the Bible. This is where his love for reading the Word of God began, and its interpretation became the main task of the future saint’s life.
When St. John grew up, he received an excellent education, started practicing as a lawyer, and his mother hoped that he would soon find a worthy position in society both as an active man and as a Christian. But St. John dreamed of becoming a monk and aspired to join the ranks of monks: he was waiting for his beloved mother’s consent and blessing. When St. Anthusa learned about her son’s intention to become a monk, she was very saddened and told him about all the hardships and fears that had befallen her, which, with God’s help, she had overcome. She persuaded him not to leave his mother’s house so as not to make her an orphan again, but to wait for the moment when the Lord took her to Himself.
St. John obeyed his mother and stayed with her. And after her repose he distributed his inheritance among the poor and retreated into the desert to live with hermits. For his great services, St. John was eventually ordained priest. After that, with great diligence and insight he began to preach the Holy Gospel, for which he received the name “Chrysostom” (“Golden Mouth”). Later he became the Archbishop of Constantinople, compiled the Divine Liturgy that bears his name, wrote several prayers for the rite of Unction, and introduced antiphonal singing during the Vigil. Besides, St. John Chrysostom is the author of a large number of theological writings, sermons, and letters. Enduring his exile and sentence with fortitude and humility, he remained faithful to Christ and the Church till the last minute of his earthly life.
Source: Orthodox Christianity
