Saturday of the Akathist to the Most-Holy Theotokos

Saints commemorated

Ven. Joseph the Hymnographer

Joseph the Hymnographer (c. 816–886) was the most prolific poet of the Byzantine Church — the author of many hundreds of liturgical canons that fill the service-books to this day, above all the great cycle of the Paraklitiki (the Octoechos of the weekday saints) and canons to the Theotokos, the angels, the apostles, and a vast company of the saints. A Sicilian by birth, a monk of Thessalonica and then of Constantinople, a confessor exiled and enslaved for the veneration of the holy icons, he received (the tradition says) the gift of hymnography from the Apostle Bartholomew himself. His name closes hundreds of the last troparia (the akrostichis) of the canons he composed.
St Zosimas, monk, of Palestine (523)
George of Maleon

George was an ascetic and wonderworker of Mount Maleon (Malea), the great monastic promontory at the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese, who from his youth gave himself to the solitary life of prayer and fasting and attained to purity of heart. He is honoured among the venerable fathers on the day of Joseph the Hymnographer.

British Isles and Ireland

St. Tigernach, abbot of Clones (549)
St. Gwerir, hermit of Liskeard

Troparia & kontakia

Kontakion — Tone 4

Thou didst enrich the whole Church with divine songs of praise, O all-blessed father, unfolding the treasures of the Spirit; for the Apostle Bartholomew gave thee the grace of song, and thou dost gladden them that keep thy memory.

Troparion — Tone 8 (common of a venerable ascetic)

By a flood of tears thou didst make the barren desert fruitful, and thy longing for God brought forth fruit a hundredfold; thou becamest a shining lamp, illumining the whole world by thy miracles, O George our father. Intercede with Christ God that our souls may be saved.

Troparion — Tone 8 (common of a venerable)

In thee, O Father, was preserved unimpaired that which is according to God's image; for taking up the Cross thou didst follow after Christ, and by thy deeds thou didst teach us to despise the flesh, for it passeth away, but to care for the soul, a thing immortal. Wherefore, O venerable Joseph, thy spirit rejoiceth with the angels.

Readings

Epistle

Hebrews 9.24-28

²⁴For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: ²⁵Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; ²⁶For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: ²⁸So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Hebrews 9.1-7 (Theotokos)

¹Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. ²For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. ³And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; ⁴Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; ⁵And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. ⁶Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. ⁷But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

Gospel

Mark 8.27-31

²⁷And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Cæsarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? ²⁸And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. ²⁹And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. ³⁰And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. ³¹And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Luke 10.38-42, 11.27-28 (Theotokos)

³⁸Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. ³⁹And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. ⁴⁰But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. ⁴¹And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: ⁴²But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. ²⁷And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. ²⁸But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.