Prayer to the Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebaste

O radiant choir of warriors, Forty lights burning in the frozen lake of Sebaste,

you who turned night into day with the fire of your love for Christ,

look upon me whose heart is cold and divided and breathe upon its frost with your flame.

You stood as one, stripped of every earthly comfort,

the bitter wind cutting flesh as the Spirit enkindled your souls.

The ice became your bridal chamber,

the stars your witnesses,

and the Lord Himself your crown.

Not one turned away from the cold,

save he who fled the Cross and found only death,

while you, steadfast in your confession,

entered the warmth of eternal light.

O martyrs beloved,

teach me the secret of your courage,

to trust grace where reason falters,

to love the will of God when all is stripped away,

to stand unshaken in the blizzard of temptation,

and to find joy even as the world grows dark.

Forty witnesses of divine fire,

pray that my icy heart may be set ablaze by your intercession.

Let the chill of fear melt before the presence of the Crucified.

Let me too enter the waters of obedience

and rise clothed not in garments but in light.

O Holy Martyrs of Sebaste,

frozen in body yet burning in spirit,

intercede for me before the Lord of glory,

that the cold death of sin within me

may be transformed into the living warmth of His grace,

to the praise of the Father,

and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit,

now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.