Byzantine Saints: Great Martyr Euphemia the All-praised (16 September)

About this sermon

Discover the extraordinary life, miracles and martyrdom of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, the Holy Great Martyr commemorated on September 16. Euphemia was the daughter of Christian parents, Senator Philophron and his wife Theodosia. She suffered for Jesus Christ in AD 304 at Chalcedon, across the Bosphorus from Constantinople. When Proconsul Priscus ordered everyone to attend a pagan festival and sacrifice to the idol of Ares, forty-nine Christians gathered secretly to worship the true God. The young virgin Euphemia was among them. After their hiding place was discovered, the Christians endured nineteen days of torture without renouncing their faith. Priscus sent the others to Emperor Diocletian but kept Euphemia behind, believing that isolation would weaken her resolve. Euphemia refused every reward and remained faithful to Christ. She was tied to a wheel fitted with sharp blades, but her prayer caused the instrument to stop. An angel descended, freed her and healed her wounds. Soldiers Victor and Sosthenes were then ordered to throw Euphemia into a red-hot furnace. Seeing angels standing within the flames, they refused and openly confessed themselves as Christians. They were condemned to the wild beasts and entered eternal life, while the animals left their bodies untouched. Other soldiers cast Euphemia into the furnace, but she emerged unharmed. She also walked safely across a concealed pit filled with knives. Finally, she was sent into the arena. A she-bear inflicted only a small wound upon her foot, and the Great Martyr peacefully surrendered her soul to God. An earthquake shook Chalcedon at her death. Walls fell, pagan temples crumbled and the terrified crowd fled, allowing Euphemia’s parents to recover and bury her body. A magnificent church was later built over her tomb. The Fourth Ecumenical Council met there in AD 451, and Saint Euphemia miraculously confirmed the Orthodox confession of faith against the Monophysite heresy—an event commemorated separately on July 11. Her relics survived invasion and the Iconoclast persecution. Saint Euphemia’s incorrupt body is preserved in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in Constantinople, with portions of her relics honored in Cyprus and Saint Petersburg. Holy Great Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised, pray for us. 0:00 Great Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised 0:25 Her Christian Family and Martyrdom 0:33 Chalcedon and Proconsul Priscus 0:41 The Pagan Festival and Forced Sacrifice 0:57 Forty-Nine Christians Worship in Secret 1:06 Their Hiding Place Is Discovered 1:15 Nineteen Days of Torture 1:23 Euphemia Is Separated From the Others 1:37 Her Prayer for Strength 1:44 Refusing Rewards and Pagan Sacrifice 1:53 The Miraculous Torture Wheel 2:01 An Angel Frees and Heals Euphemia 2:10 Victor and Sosthenes Approach the Furnace 2:17 Two Angels Appear Within the Flames 2:24 The Soldiers Confess Christ 2:32 Victor and Sosthenes Face the Wild Beasts 2:41 Their Prayer and Entrance Into Heaven 2:50 Euphemia Emerges Unharmed From the Fire 3:04 The Concealed Pit Filled With Knives 3:14 Condemned to the Wild Beasts 3:22 Saint Euphemia’s Final Prayer 3:31 Her Martyrdom and the Earthquake 3:40 Pagan Temples Collapse 3:48 Her Parents Recover and Bury Her Body 3:56 The Fourth Ecumenical Council 4:05 Euphemia Defends the Orthodox Faith 4:12 Her Relics Are Moved to Constantinople 4:21 Preserved During the Iconoclast Persecution 4:36 The Relics Return to Constantinople 4:45 Her Incorrupt Body and Sacred Relics https://www.oca.org/saints/lives #OrthodoxChristianity #SaintEuphemia #ChristianMartyrs #GreatMartyrEuphemia #LivesOfTheSaints #OrthodoxFaith #CouncilOfChalcedon #EcumenicalCouncil #OrthodoxChurch #HolyMartyrs 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 ✝️ SUPPORT THE MISSION 🙏 Donate https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 📬 Free Catholic Newsletter https://sensusfidelium.com/newsletter/ 📰 Read on Substack https://sensusfidelium.substack.com/ ──────────────────── 📺 WATCH & READ 📺 Sensus Fidelium App https://sensusfidelium.tv/ 📚 Sensus Fidelium Press https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ 👕 Official Merchandise https://sensusfidelium.com/merchandise/ ──────────────────── 🤝 PARTNER WITH US 📣 Advertise on Sensus Fidelium https://sensusfidelium.com/advertise-with-sensus-fidelium/ 🎤 Invite Steve Cunningham to Speak https://sensusfidelium.com/speaking/ ⛪ Parish Formation & Consultation https://sensusfidelium.com/for-parishes/ ──────────────────── 🌎 CATHOLIC COMMUNITY ✝️ Trusted Catholic Businesses https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴

Topics

• Suffering & Trials