The Festival of St. Olaf II, King and Martyr
Posted on July 29, 2026 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 10:26-32 (NKJV)
10:26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.”
Devotion
The Church today remembers Olaf II Haraldsson, king, confessor, and martyr. His earthly crown did not spare him from suffering. His confession of Christ carried a cost, and in the end, it cost him his life. That makes our Lord’s words all the more fitting: “Fear them not therefore.”
Those words have carried Christians through exile, imprisonment, public shame, and martyrdom. They remind us that the enemies of Christ may wound the body, but they cannot silence the Gospel. Olaf’s courage was not born from natural strength or royal authority. Kings die like every other man. His courage came from Christ. And that is what makes martyrs such a powerful witness. They do not die to earn heaven. They die because heaven has already been given to them through the blood of Jesus.
That same confession still costs something. Perhaps not on a battlefield. Perhaps not beneath a sword. But in pulpits, homes, workplaces, and public witness, confessing Christ still invites ridicule and hostility. Yet Jesus says, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father.” What comfort there is in that promise. The world may forget your name. Christ will not.
Collect: O Lord, grant steadfastness in a faithful confession to those among the magistracy whom Thou hast gathered into Thy holy Church, and direct the hearts of the faithful to support them in their vocation; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Grant to us, Lord, we beseech Thee, the Spirit to think and do always such things as are right; that we, who cannot do anything that is good without Thee, may by Thee be enabled to live according to Thy will; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
