Forgiveness Sunday
March 6
The Holy Fathers have appointed the commemoration of Adam's exile from the Paradise of delight here, on the eve of the holy Forty-day Fast, demonstrating to us not by simple words, but by actual deeds, how beneficial fasting is for man, and how harmful and destructive are insatiety and the transgressing of the divine commandments. For the first commandment that God gave to man was that of fasting, which the first-fashioned received but did not keep; and not only did they not become gods, as they had imagined, but they lost even that blessed life which they had, and they fell into corruption and death, and transmitted these and innumerable other evils to all of mankind. The God-bearing Fathers set these things before us today, that by bringing to mind what we have fallen from, and what we have suffered because of the insatiety and disobedience of the first-fashioned, we might be diligent to return again to that ancient bliss and glory by means of fasting and obedience to all the divine commands. Taking occasion from today's Gospel (Matt. 6:14-21) to begin the Fast unencumbered by enmity, we also ask forgiveness this day, first from God, then from one another and all creation.
Reading Courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery



The 7 Hieromartyrs of Cherson
March 7
St. Ephraim came from Amidene and was a count when Justinus the Thracian was reigning in 518. He came to Antioch to rebuild it because it had been destroyed by earthquakes for a second time. By royal command he was consecrated bishop by the people of Antioch in 527 as Meletios writes and as it had happened in times of old with Ambrosios of Mediolana (Milan) and Nectarios of Constantinople. Ephraim was a great enemy of the Monophysites. So, he wrote strongly against them, as Photios says. He heard that there was a stylite monk in Hierapolis who was a follower of Severus the monophysite. So, he was moved by holy zeal, went to him and started teaching him the orthodox faith. But he was not at all convinced by his words. He only said: "Let us both get into the fire and whosoever is not harmed by the flame is orthodox and victorious." He said these words in order to scare the Patriarch away. But Ephraim said: "Bring here wood and fire and I shall get into it resting all my courage on omnipotent God. So, you, too, descend from your pillar." But he did not want to come down. Then, the Patriarch took his overcoat off, prayed and threw both himself and his overcoat onto the fire. Miraculously the fire was immediately put out and he and his overcoat remained unharmed and unburnt. When the stylite saw this miracle, he came down from his pillar and anathematized Severus' heresy. Thus, he was united with the catholic Church. These things are told by Sophronios, Patriarch of Jerusalem. Because Antioch had been ruined by earthquakes for a second time, as we have said above, the fear of earthquake made every Christian write on his homedoor these words: "May Christ stand with us." So, because of this Antioch was called Theoupolis (God's city) as Nicephoros relates in book xvii of his history. Emperor Justinus weeped a lot over the destruction of Antioch. St. Ephraim ministered his flock well and in a way pleasing to God for eighteen years according to Meletios and then departed to the Lord.
Reading Courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery



40 Martyrs at Lake Sebaste
March 9
The martyrdom of the Holy 40 Martyrs of Sebasteia is a powerful lesson in Christian faith, perseverance, sacrifice, and friendship. The story of this martyrdom begins in the early part of the 4th century when the persecution of Christians was still active. There were 40 soldiers of the Roman army who possessed sincere faith in Jesus Christ. When it was realized that they would not deny their belief in the Lord, they were brought to trial before their commander who threatened to have them discharged from the military dishonorably. One of the soldiers responded: "Do not take only our military status, but also our bodies; nothing is dearer or of greater honor to us than Christ our God." Following a number of failed attempts to torture them, they were finally stripped, tied, and thrown into a lake. It happened to be wintertime and the temperature was extremely cold. To tempt the soldiers to deny Christ, the torturers lit fires near the lake to entice them to deny Christ. One soldier actually did come out of the water and headed for the fire, but before he could get there, he died. During the night, a light from heaven came down and heated the lake and warmed these Christian witnesses. At the same time, thirty-nine crowns were sent from heaven and rested upon each of them. One of the soldiers torturing them saw this and, moved by this event, confessed the Christ as Lord and Savior and joined the others in the lake. A fortieth crown appeared and descended upon him at that very moment. In the morning, the commander was furious when he learned of the events and ordered that their legs be broken and they be thrown back into the lake. On the third day following their drowning, the martyrs appeared to the local bishop and told him to search beneath the water and recover their relics. In the middle of the night, the bishop, along with his priests, went to the lake where they found the relics glowing in the water and, gathering them together, they gave them a proper burial.

Reading Courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery