On March 9th we celebrate the memory of a very special group of saints – forty of them to be exact! They are called the Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebastea. Sebastea is a town in modern-day Armenia.
The 40 martyrs were young men, legionaries, or soldiers of the Roman Empire, stationed in the mountain town of Sebastea. They were exceptional for their bravery in battle, so much so that they had been nicknamed the “Thundering Legion.” They were exceptional in another way, too: they were Christians. Through the witness of one or two who followed the way of Jesus Christ, the others had been converted. This set them apart from many of their fellow soldiers, who still worshipped the pagan gods of Rome.
With their conversion to Christianity, it wasn’t long before these devout soldiers were put to the ultimate test of their faith. In an effort to consolidate power for himself throughout the Empire, the Emperor Licinius was demanding that all his subjects give allegiance to the pagan gods. By doing so they would be pledging their loyalty to him, for he was considered to be godlike himself as Emperor. Licinius felt threatened by the new Christian religion which told people not to worship pagan gods.
The legionaries had a terrible choice to make. They supported each other, and they made it; they would not, could not, bow down to idols. The young soldiers’ commanders got frantic. After all, they would get in trouble with the authorities if they could not control their own men. They offered the Christians higher military rank, they threatened, pleaded, and begged, but the forty young men were firm. “We will not turn away from Christ. If you hate us for this, take away not only our rank, but our lives as well,” one of them said.
Their fellow soldiers thought they were stupid for holding out; their commanding officers were furious; soon the son of the Emperor himself came to Sebastea to deal with these dangerous troublemakers.
They were subjected to a specifically horrible ordeal. They were put in the frozen waters of Lake Sebastea and left there all night. On the shore, in full view, warm steam bathhouses stood to beckon the freezing men. “Come, renounce your foolishness, leave the water and enjoy the warmth – we will give you honor and rank as well!” their commander called out.
All night long, the forty called out encouragement to one another, singing hymns and reciting the words of the Lord. But finally, one of them grew weak, and dragged himself out of the water and to the bathhouse.
As the long night wore one, 40 “crowns” appeared above the martyrs’ heads. Forty crowns but only 39 martyrs! Suddenly one of the guards saw the meaning of it all. He rushed into the water shouting, “Lord, make me worthy of this crown which your former servant surrendered!”
In the morning, all the surviving men were executed, and their bodies thrown into the lake. But their bones were found by other Christians, and their relics are preserved. The 40 martyrs have a place of honor in the Church’s calendar and in her long list of great martyrs of the Lord.
These young soldiers must have felt isolated from their non-Christian peers. It is hard to stand apart, to be “different;” yet during Great Lent, you are standing apart too. You are undertaking a Lenten Journey that most of the world neglects. You are actively involved in fasting, increasing your prayer-life, studying scriptures, attending more services, watching that which you do, and are more charity-minded – remembering the poor and unfortunate. In other ways, too, as an Orthodox Christian, sometimes stand apart from those around you. Are you capable and/or ready to be different? Is it worthwhile? Why did Christ tell us that being different was something we have to be ready for?
Read and meditate upon the following scripture verses for an answer: Matt. 5:11 & 16; Luke 16:31; John 15:11; Proverbs 13:1; Psalms 23 & 27.
