Byzantine Saints: Martyrs Pionius & Limnus of Smyrna & Asclepiades, Macedonia, & Sabina (11 March)

About this sermon

The heroic Martyrs Pionius, Limnus, Sabina, Macedonia, and Asclepiades of Smyrna gave their lives for Christ during the brutal persecution of Christians under Emperor Decius (249–251 AD). Saint Pionius, a priest of the Church of Smyrna, knew that persecution was coming. On the eve of the feast of Saint Polycarp, he and his companions prepared themselves for martyrdom rather than betray Christ. When they were arrested, the saints boldly confessed the Christian faith before the crowds and the authorities. They refused to sacrifice to idols or the emperor, choosing instead to suffer imprisonment, torture, and ultimately death. Saint Pionius was finally nailed to a cross and burned alive, yet witnesses saw that his body remained unharmed by the flames, his face radiant with divine grace. These holy martyrs remind us of the courage, fidelity, and unshakable faith of the early Christians who chose eternal life with Christ over earthly safety. Their witness continues to inspire Christians today to remain faithful to the Gospel in every trial. 📖 Saints commemorated: • Saint Pionius of Smyrna • Saint Limnus of Smyrna • Saint Sabina • Saint Macedonia • Saint Asclepiades 🗓 Feast Day: March 11 If you enjoy learning about the saints, martyrs, and heroes of the early Church, consider subscribing for more Catholic content. 🙏 “It is far worse to burn after death.” — Saint Pionius 0:00 Introduction 0:26 The Martyrs of Smyrna 0:33 The Persecution of Emperor Decius 0:40 The Church of Smyrna Founded by St John 0:48 Saint Pionius Foresees His Arrest 1:02 Preparing for Martyrdom 1:18 Arrest on the Feast of Saint Polycarp 1:26 Interrogation and Trial 1:34 Saint Pionius Speaks to the Crowd 1:49 Wisdom from Scripture 2:03 Refusing to Worship Idols 2:20 Faith in the Face of Death 2:27 Sabina’s Courage 2:34 Confession of Faith 2:42 Protecting Saint Sabina 3:05 The Saints Thrown Into Prison 3:14 Meeting Limnus and Macedonia 3:30 The Martyrs Refuse Gifts 3:38 Beaten by the Crowd 3:46 Sabina’s Bold Reply 3:55 Mockery by the Pagans 4:04 Martyrdom of Saint Pionius 4:18 The Miracle After the Fire 4:32 The Crown of Glory 4:40 Preserving the Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp 4:58 Vision of Saint Polycarp 5:06 Preserving the Ancient Account 5:13 The Saints Rejoice in Heaven https://www.oca.org/saints/lives 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SensusFidelium.TV - https://sensusfidelium.tv/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #SaintPionius #MartyrsOfSmyrna #ChristianMartyrs #EarlyChurch #CatholicSaints #LivesOfTheSaints #ChurchHistory #FaithAndMartyrdom #OrthodoxSaints #SaintStories

Topics

• Suffering & Trials