ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY Orthodox Calendar
Orthodox Calendar 2025
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Сорок мучеников Севастийских
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Old Style
March 9 		Saturday
New Style
March 22
3rd Week of Great Lent. Tone 5.
Great Lent.
Wine and oil allowed.

Совершается служба с полиелеемThe Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste: Cyrion (or Quirio), Candidus, Domnus, Hesychius, Heraclius, Smaragdus, Eunoicus, Valens, Vivianus, Claudius, Priscus, Theodulus, Eutychius, John, Xanthias, Helianus, Sisinius, Angus, Aetius, Flavius, Acacius, Ecdicius, Lysimachus, Alexander, Elias, Gorgonius, Theophilus, Dometian, Gaius, Leontius, Athanasius, Cyril, Sacerdon, Nicholas, Valerius, Philoctimon, Severian, Chudion, Aglaius, and Meliton (ca. 320).

Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia (ca. 295). St. Caesarius, brother of St. Gregory the Theologian (ca. 369). St. Tarasius the Wonderworker, of Lycaonia. Translation to Vladimir of the relics of Martyr Abraham of the Bulgars on the Volga (1230). St. Jonah, archbishop of Novgorod (1470). St. Theodosius Levitsky, priest, of Balta (Odessa) (1845). St. Dimitra, nun and foundress of the Vvedensk Convent in Kiev (1878).

New Hieromartyrs Mitrophan Buchnoff, archpriest, of Voronezh (1931), and Ioasaph (Shakhov), abbot, of Popovka (Moscow) (1938). New Hieromartyrs Sergius Lebedev, Sergius Tsvetkov, and Alexis Smirnov, archpriests, and Dimitry Glivenko, priest, all of the Moscow region (1938).

“Albazin” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (“The Word Was Made Flesh”) (1666).

St. Philoromus the Confessor, of Galatia (4th c.). St. Pacianus, bishop of Barcelona (390). St. Bosa, bishop of York (705). St. Vitalis of Castronovo (994). New Martyrs (two priests and forty students) of Momisici (Montenegro) (1688).

Repose of Elder Cleopas of Ostrov-Vvedensk Monastery (1778), Schema-abbot Theodosius (Pomortsev) of Optina Monastery (1920), and Schema-archimandrite Theophilus of Kiev (1996).

Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse

St. Theophan the Recluse

Saturday. [Heb. 10:32–38; Mark 2:14–17]

   I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Mark 2:17). Through the mouth of Wisdom the Lord called the foolish to Himself. He Himself wandered upon the earth, calling sinners. Neither the proud, “clever ones,” nor the self-willed and righteous have a place with Him. Let intellectual and moral weakness rejoice! Mental and active power, step aside! Total weakness that acknowledges itself as such and hastens with faith to the Lord Who healeth the weak and filleth the impoverished, will become strong both intellectually and morally, but will continue to acknowledge both its intellectual poverty and evil inclinations. The power of God, under this unprepossessing cover and made perfect in weakness, invisibly creates a different person who is bright mentally and morally. This brightness is often manifest here, but it is always manifest there, in heaven. Behold what is hidden from the wise and prudent and is revealed only to babes (cf. Matt. 11:25)!

Articles

In Memory of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste—A.D. 320

During this time they prepared themselves for the trial of martyrdom. One of them, Cyrion by name, exhorted his fellow soldiers: "God so ordained that we made friends with each other in this temporary life; let us try not to separate even in eternity; just as we have been found plea sing to a mortal king, so let us strive to be worthy of the favor of the immortal King, Christ our God."

Fascinating Facts Behind the Forty Martyrs of Sevaste

Too Incredible to Be True? Are we really supposed to believe that forty men in the prime of life voluntarily undressed to die by freezing? Is this just a legend? Actually, the story is as solid as ancient history gets.

Homily Concerning the Forty Martyrs

St. Gregory of Nyssa

I believe that persons who have undergone many harsh experiences can give us encouragement because the sufferings which they and others have endured are a source of special joy. A shepherd rejoices when he sees his abundant flock gathered together; although his pen is large, he expands it to accommodate a large number of sheep. Similarly, Peter saw a throng gathered about the Lord and exclaimed, Master, the crowd surrounds you and presses upon you (Lk. 8.45).

40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste

On the following morning, the soldiers were again taken to Agricola. This time the pagan tried flattery. He began to praise their valor, their youth and strength, and once more he urged them to renounce Christ and thereby win themselves the respect and favor of their emperor.

The Holy Forty Martyrs—"Winter Is Harsh, but Paradise Is Sweet!"

According to the tradition about the Holy Forty Martyrs, as they were suffering in the freezing lake, they strengthened themselves and one another by saying “Winter is harsh, but paradise is sweet!” This captures the spirit and essence of Christian martyrdom, which always sees the experiences of this world in the light of the heavenly kingdom.

The 40 Martyrs of Sebaste: Confession through martyrdom

Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi

What were they "suffering at present" from? They were tortured with whatever the devil threw at them, since he is always generating ways to prevent the devout from getting on with their business. He begins with minor internal or external annoyances and reaches even the highest of all evil, death.

40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste

Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia

The Holy Martyr Urpasianus suffered in the city of Nicomedia.

St. Caesarius, brother of St. Gregory the Theologian

Saint Caesarius lived for a long time at the court of the emperor Constantius (337-361), and was his friend and chief court physician.

Icon of the Mother of God “The Word was made Flesh”

The Albazin Icon of the Mother of God “the Word made Flesh” is of great religious significance in the Amur River region.
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