On 20 March 2018, the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was celebrated at Saint Alexius Cathedral in honour of the Forty Martyrs who suffered in the lake of Sebaste.
In the Russian Orthodox Church the memory of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste is celebrated on 22 March (New Style). It is a fixed feast, meaning its date does not change. But in 2018 the feast was moved to 20 March because it coincided with the Thursday of the Great Canon.
The Liturgy was celebrated by the rector of the church, Priest Igor Babakov.
The evening service was held in the church the day before.
There is an old custom of shaping dough into "larks," bird-shaped buns, and baking them on the day of the Martyrs of Sebaste. Why larks? Peasants noticed that a singing lark now soars upward and now drops like a stone to the ground, and explained this as the special boldness and humility of these birds before God. The lark rushes swiftly upward but, struck by the majesty of the Lord, bows down in deep reverence. Thus, in the mind of our pious ancestors, the larks represented the song of glory to the Lord raised by the martyrs, their humility and their striving upward, to the Kingdom of Heaven, to the Sun of Righteousness, Christ.
During the service the "larks" were blessed and given out to the worshippers.
At the end of the Liturgy, Fr. Igor reminded the faithful of the meaning of this Orthodox feast:
"Dear brothers and sisters, I am glad to greet you today in our church as the Holy Church honours the memory of the Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste.
The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste are saints of the first centuries of Christianity. Their life left a deep mark on the history of the faith of Christ.
So what can each of us learn? We can learn faith and faithfulness to God, learn to trust Him and to follow in His footsteps to the end, keeping the commandments. These men formed a military unit and were very brave soldiers. They always emerged victorious from every battle, and so they enjoyed glory and were admired by the emperor. But the moment came when all this was laid on the scales, and earthly well-being could not outweigh the faith of 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.
Brothers and sisters, let us be attentive and merciless toward ourselves in the days of Great Lent, so that, as the holy Apostle Paul says, we may have "crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal. 5:24). Let us bury our sins and evil inclinations, so as to meet the Bright Resurrection of Christ with the joyful Paschal greeting.
A blessed feast to you all, dear brothers and sisters!"
