Blessed Xeni The Blind

Divine Gerontissa Xenia, the first Abbess of St Nektarios of Aegina, was mindful of the phrase 'the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force' and would force herself (as directed by the saint) to act with prudence in all things so that 'faith, hope, and love towards God would be perfected in her. The verses that her blindness inspired quiver with sighs but are also shaken by gentle faith and soothe with the comfort that only wholehearted devotion to God can give. This is the blind poetess Xenia, who had deep humility, clear discernment, and admirable patience. God also granted her poetic talent. Although she is not a well-known poetess, her simple poems are like fresh wildflowers, picked from the cultivated field of her poetic nature, that compose a beautiful bouquet which will forever preserve its fragrance, as they refer to the eternal and unfading Rose, the All-Holy Mother.