St. Martha, mother of Simeon, nicknamed Divnogorz

In the 6th century, in Antioch, a girl was born to believing parents. Thoughtful, silent, she preferred to spend time in prayer and reading spiritual books. But she submitted to her parents’ will, married and gave birth to a son. Together with him, she spent most of the day in the temple of John the Forerunner. If she did not pray, she gave alms, sewed clothes, helped the sick. I had to get up for prayer at night. She prayed fervently, serving as an example to her son.
It was in the temple of John the Forerunner Martha and his son survived a devastating earthquake. Her husband stayed at home and died under the rubble, but the temple stood.
Martha was very happy for her son when he chose the difficult path of an ascetic. She only prayed to him to beware of the sin of pride, to help the suffering, to give advice to those who seek.
Quite often, Martha visited the Wonderful Mountain, talked with her son, helped her brothers in their daily troubles.
For humility and kindness, for pure faith, the Lord blessed the saint to see His palaces while still alive. The angel of the vision told her that in a year she would be freed from her mortal body and would take her place in Heaven. Before her death, Martha said goodbye to her son and in 551 she went to the Lord, just as she lived: quietly, without pomp. A smile shone on her face, and those who stood next to her heard the words, “I am in joy.”