Synaxarium

On this day, the great prophet Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest departed. This righteous man was a priest who was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon along with King Jehoiachin. There, by the river Chebar in the land of the Chaldeans, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he prophesied wondrous things for twenty-two years, including his prophecy about the birth of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, and her remaining a virgin after childbirth: The Lord showed him a door facing east, which was shut. He said to him, "This door shall remain shut; no one shall enter through it, for the Lord God of Israel has entered through it; therefore it shall be shut" (Ezekiel 44:1-2). He prophesied about baptism, which sanctifies the soul and body of man, softens the heart of stone, and makes him a child of God by the coming of the Holy Spirit upon him. He wept over the priests for neglecting to teach the people and warned them, showing that God demands their souls if they neglect their teaching. He also prophesied about the general resurrection and the resurrection of bodies with their spirits, which were united with them, and their recompense according to their deeds. He mentioned many useful sayings for all who consider them and showed great signs through him. When the children of Israel worshipped idols in Babylon, their leaders were angered and killed him. He was buried in the tombs of Shem and Arphaxad. May his prayers be with us. Amen.

On this day, we commemorate the departure of Jacob, son of Zebedee. May his prayers be with us, and to our Lord be glory forever and ever. Amen.

On this day, Saint Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra in the region of Paphlagonia, was martyred. He was the head of this diocese and shepherd of its people in the early fourth century. He attended the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in the year 325 AD. He was one of the great fathers who defended the divinity of the Word of God and His equality with the Father in essence, refuting the errors of the heresies of the Arians, Apollinarians, Novatians, and others.

God honored him with the gift of performing miracles, which he did many times and in various ways; therefore, he was called 'the Wonderworker.' Among his miracles, during the reign of King Constantine the Great's son Constantius, a terrifying dragon entered from the land into the royal storehouses. The king sent to the saint, asking him to go to the storehouses and kill this dragon. The holy shepherd went there, and after praying, he told the servants to gather firewood in the city square and set it on fire. Then the saint took his staff, placed it in the dragon's mouth, and led it like a bridle to the fire, where it burned. To commemorate this miracle, the king ordered the saint's image to be hung on the wall of the storehouses. While the saint was returning from Nicaea after the First Ecumenical Council, heading to Gangra, a group of heretics who had ambushed him on the road attacked him. They jumped on him, stoned him, and he died a martyr (on March 31). Then they threw his body into a hay store. When the people of Gangra learned of the death of their good shepherd, they hastened to the place where he was killed, took his holy remains with great honor, and buried them in the city. May his blessings be with us, and to our Lord be glory forever. Amen.