Above all he wanted unity. Among the bishops at the Council, at least, he got it. After some early contention, the final vote was probably to 2 against Arius and for the Orthodox. This is the hall where it took place. The new capitol was dedicated on May 11, , and put under the protection of the Theotokos. Why the move? To escape the pagan traditions of Rome? Because the east was the cultural and economic center of the empire?
For sentimental reasons — because he had been raised near there by his mother? Perhaps all of the above. In any event it was a providential move, for only a century later the old Rome would fall to barbarians from the north. And so began the history of what has come to be called the Byzantine Empire, the longest-lasting, most influential empire in human history.
She made a pilgrimage to Palestine, the Holy Land. I told you in Blog Post 3, March 13, how she commissioned at least one church along the way, Ekatontapiliani on Paros.
Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans in the year 70, and the site was now a pagan town, Aelia Capitolina. Helen sought out the holy sites connected with our Lord Jesus Christ. After her death her son Constantine went to Jerusalem for the dedication of the Anastasis, the Church of the Resurrection, on September 13, The joy and exultation of Christians was almost beyond belief. Less than 25 years before, the empire was trying to exterminate the Church.
Now the emperor, The Emperor! It felt like the whole world was being renewed. We still commemorate this every September Celebrate the renewal of your soul… Let your whole life be renewed, for the old things have passed away, and behold, all is made new.
Let the fruit of this feast be for you a change for the good, for mankind is renewed, and the feast of the Renewal is now being celebrated. All this time Constantine had never been baptized. Historians wonder why. Some people at the time mistakenly delayed Baptism till late in life, lest they fall into major sin after the Washing. Even the great Saint Basil, raised in a profoundly Christian family, was not baptized till he was an adult. He never explained. But early in the year he fell ill and quickly was baptized.
It is said he abandoned his imperial garments and wore only his white baptismal robe for the rest of his life, which was not long.
He died on Pentecost, May 21, , and ever since on this day the Church has honored him and his mother. As I said at the beginning, Constantine was not a saint in the usual sense.
He was a politician, with all the compromises that entails. But no saints begin as saints; they are ordinary people who become extraordinary. There is every evidence that Constantine became a devout Christian before he was done. But we honor him chiefly for what he did for the Church and the world. Constantine ended the Great Persecution of the Church, and through him the Roman empire became Christian. It was because of Constantine that Christendom as we knew it till recently existed, and that hundreds of millions of people through the centuries up to our own day have had the opportunity to be Christians, to know Christ, to be part of the Church, to attain eternal life.
In that sense Constantine was a miracle-worker. And the one who set him on that course and helped him establish it was his mother Helen. Join our newsletter to get the most interesting articles on spiritual issues and learn about the recent news from St. Elisabeth Convent. Your email address will not be published. Previous post. Next post. February 23, November 28, Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.
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Subscribe now. Spelling error report The following text will be sent to our editors:. Your comment optional :. Send Cancel. Skeeter is told by her mother that Constantine left willingly to live with her family in Chicago. Elaine Stein, Senior Editor, writes to Skeeter to reject her resume but advises her to find a job writing for her local newspaper. Stein also writes that she is willing to look over Skeeter's publishing ideas. Skeeter receives a job offer at the Jackson Journal writing the Miss Myrna column, a housekeeping advice column for which she is unqualified.
Skeeter asks Aibileen to help her with the answers to domestic questions and Aibileen reluctantly agrees. While they are working on the column, Aibileen reveals that Constantine was actually fired and gave birth to a light-skinned baby.
Societal expectations for white women is a theme in each of Skeeter's chapters. She is expected to be married and to be having babies by the time she is 22 years old.
Skeeter's mother considers it her duty to help her daughter, but her attempts are critical and Skeeter is a constant disappointment. Phelan says that four years of college is more than enough for a woman. When Skeeter searches the newspaper for a job, she discovers that men are paid more for the same work. The path for white women seems just as narrowly defined as the path for black maids. Skeeter's relationship with Constantine parallels Aibileen's attachment to Mae Mobley: The bonds between black maid and white child run deep and usually lead to heartbreak for both.
The white child often forms a devotion to the maid, which is reciprocated, but the child will eventually grow up to be a future employer with the power. As children they must obey their maids, but when the child matures, the maids become the ones who must obey.
Also, even though the bond is strong between maid and child, the parents can sever the bond without explanation.
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