Saint Abraham of Kidunaia, born in 296 near Edessa, Syria, came from wealth. Early in life, he faced a marriage he didn’t wish for. As the celebrations progressed, Abraham chose solitude over matrimony. He secluded himself in a structure close by, communicating his spiritual aspirations through a mere aperture to his initially resistant family. Their eventual acquiescence led to the dissolution of his marriage, allowing him a decade of devout seclusion.
Summoned from this solitude by the Edessa bishop, Abraham found himself unwillingly ordained and dispatched to Beth-Kiduna, a stronghold of paganism. There, through resilience in the face of hostility and by leading through example, he managed to convert the entire populace. His mission completed within a year, he humbly requested a successor from God and retreated to his hermitage, henceforth bearing the name Kidunaia, a testament to his transformative work in Beth-Kiduna.
Abraham’s reclusion was interrupted twice thereafter. His niece, Mary of Edessa, notorious for her debauched lifestyle, prompted Abraham to adopt a soldier’s guise—a strategy to win her audience. Their encounter led to her spiritual awakening. Abraham then resumed his isolation, which was only broken by his death, leaving behind a legacy celebrated by a vast assembly of mourners. His life and deeds were immortalized by his contemporary, the venerable Saint Ephrem of Syria.
Photo credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
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