On 21 March, the day of commemoration of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was celebrated in our church.
The Liturgy was celebrated by the rector of the church, Priest Igor Babakov.
For many centuries the feat of the Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste has drawn the hearts of Orthodox Christians.
At the beginning of the fourth century after the Nativity of Christ, the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great granted Christians freedom of religion, but in many provinces the pagans still ran riot. They forced Christians to renounce the true God, and cruelly tortured and executed those who refused to worship pagan idols. Such a massacre took place in the city of Sebaste (Lesser Armenia). The Christian soldiers did not fear torment, desiring to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. "He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. Take courage and do not be afraid, for you will receive incorruptible crowns," the Lord said to them. Only one of them renounced the Savior, but his place was taken by the guard Aglaius, who had come to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. He prayed: "O Lord God, I believe in You, in Whom these soldiers believe. Join me to them, that I may be counted worthy to suffer with Your servants." The soldiers stood all night in icy water, and then their shins were broken. The martyrs continued to pray and glorify Christ.
At the end of the Liturgy Priest Igor Babakov reminded the faithful of the meaning of the Orthodox feast:
"Dear brothers and sisters, I am glad to greet you today in our church as the Holy Church honors the memory of the holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. These men formed a military unit and were very brave soldiers. They always emerged victorious from every battle, and so they were renowned, and the emperor admired them. But the moment came when all this was placed on the scales, and earthly well-being could not outweigh faith in Christ. They did not betray the Savior and endured severe trials. It is no wonder that the memory of the holy martyrs of Sebaste falls during Great Lent. It gives us occasion to remind ourselves once again that we do not fast, that we are faint-hearted and justify ourselves before the Lord. We often treat the fast as an un-Orthodox custom. The fast is not a diet but a saving podvig of prayer and abstinence.
It is good if we have believed in Christ and gone to church since childhood, but some come to God on a sickbed or deathbed. Such a person repents, receives the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and departs to the Lord in the true faith. Here we see God's mercy and love. The Lord turns to each of us at any moment of our life, even when we turn away from Him. He is always near.
Brothers and sisters, let us be attentive and unsparing with ourselves during the days of Great Lent, so that, as the holy Apostle Paul says, we may 'crucify the flesh with its passions and desires' (Gal. 5:24). Let us bury our sins and evil inclinations, so as to greet the Bright Resurrection of Christ with the joyful Paschal greeting.
Happy feast to all, dear brothers and sisters!"
It has become a good tradition for the parishioners of our church to bake "larks" before the feast of the Holy Forty Martyrs.
These are buns of Lenten dough shaped like birds, the "larks". And this is a deeply symbolic custom. Just as larks soar upward toward the sun with their spring song, so the Forty Martyrs directed their thoughts toward the Heavenly Jerusalem, toward Christ, glorifying the One God despite grievous torment.
During Great Lent the "lark" buns gladden the spirit of those who fast, encouraging and strengthening them by the example of the martyrs of Sebaste and by hope in their podvig.
For the feast the parishioners baked 160 "larks", which were blessed by Fr. Igor and handed out to the parishioners.
