Be sure to go to church today and light a candle for health! There is an important custom associated with this day.

church, believers, prayer, Photo: Hello! / Dejan Briza

Today, the Serbian Orthodox Church marks a holiday dedicated to the Holy Martyr Longin Sotnik, which is not written in red on the church calendar, but is an important custom related to this day.

The holy martyr Longinus was the first officer who, after Christ’s suffering, took off his military uniform and distanced himself from the world for Christ. He was a captain, an elder of the soldiers who attended the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Golgotha, as the evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke testified. He was the greatest of the soldiers, that is, the guard who guarded the tomb of Christ. When the Jewish elders learned of Christ’s resurrection, they bribed the soldiers to spread the false news: that Christ had not been risen, but that his disciples had stolen him. They also tried to bribe Longinus, but he did not agree.

The Jewish elders wanted to kill him, but he found out and together with his two friends, he took off his military belt, went to the apostles and got baptized, and then secretly left Jerusalem and moved to Cappadocia. There he surrendered to fasting and prayer and, as a living witness to the resurrection of Christ, converted many pagans to the true faith. Then he went to the village to his father’s farm, but they didn’t leave him alone there either. Upon learning where Longinus was, Pilate sent soldiers to kill him, but the saint foresaw it with his spirit. He went out to meet his executioners and detained them at his house without telling them who he was. The welcomed soldiers went to bed and Saint Longinus prayed all night, preparing for death. In the morning, he brought those two of his friends, dressed in white funeral suits, showed his family and showed them the place on a hill, where they would bury him.

Then he called the soldiers and told them it was Longin, when they were looking for him. The soldiers were confused and embarrassed and did not even think to cut it, but the saint demanded that they carry out the order of their elder. Longinus and two of his friends were also killed then. The soldiers brought Longinus’ head to Pilate and he gave it to the Jews, who buried it in the garbage outside the city.

After a long time since Longin’s death, as his biographer wrote, a widow went blind in Cappadocia. Since the doctors could not help her, she went with her son to Jerusalem to worship the saints. As soon as they arrived, their son suddenly fell ill and died. In that great pain, St. appeared to him. Longinus also comforted her by promising to restore her sight and show her son heavenly glory. The saint sent her behind the city walls, to the garbage dump, to dig her head there. Stumbling over the garbage can, the widow at one point touched the head of the holy martyr and immediately saw. Overjoyed, she took the saint’s head, washed it, burned incense, and placed it in her apartment as the greatest treasure.

All believers should go to church today, pray and light a candle for the health of all people, and on the way home, the first person they meet would be worth helping out. Tradition says that in that case, this saint in turn will fulfill the prayers and give health and well-being.