Virgin Martyr Anysia at Thessalonica

Saints commemorated

Saint of the day

Virgin Martyr Anysia at Thessalonica

Anysia (†c. 304) was a young Christian of Thessalonica, the daughter of pious and wealthy parents, who on their death gave away her inheritance to the poor and gave herself to a strict life of fasting, vigil, and prayer, resolved to keep her virginity for Christ alone. During the persecution of Maximian, as she was going to the assembly of the faithful, a pagan soldier seized her and tried to force her to sacrifice to the idols at a heathen festival; when she confessed Christ and spat in the face of the demon he served, he ran her through with his sword. She is honoured as a virgin-martyr of the same city and the same persecution as the Great-Martyr Demetrius, and is kept on December 30, within the afterfeast of the Nativity.
Our Holy Father Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia (1563)
Zoticus the Orphanotrophos

Zoticus (†c. 350) was a Roman of noble birth and Christian piety who came to Constantinople in the reign of Constantine the Great, renounced his rank, was ordained presbyter, and gave himself and his wealth to the care of the poor, the orphaned, and above all the lepers whom the city cast out. When an imperial order condemned the lepers to be drowned in the sea, he bought them from the soldiers with money he had drawn from the treasury "to purchase pearls for the emperor," and sheltered them on a hill across the Golden Horn. Under Constantine's son Constantius, discovering the ruse, the emperor had Zoticus bound to wild mules and dragged over the stones until he died — whereupon, the tradition says, a spring of healing water broke from the ground and the emperor, repenting, raised over his grave the great orphanage and leprosarium that made "Orphanotrophos" a title of honour in Byzantium. He is called the Feeder of Orphans, and is kept on December 30.

British Isles and Ireland

St. Egwin, bishop of Worcester and founder of Evesham Abbey (717)

Troparia & kontakia

Kontakion — Tone 2

For the love of Christ, O venerable one, thou didst cherish the poor and didst fill their need to the full; and now hast thou received the riches of heaven, O most-blessed Zoticus. Therefore do we all honour thee, keeping thy memory.

Proper

Having holily accomplished the road of the virtues, thou wast betrothed unto the Word, O modest Anysia, and didst contend rejoicing; while thou, O Melania, made radiant with the splendour of dispassion, didst flash upon the world the lightning of the virtues. And now do ye both make Christ the Lord merciful unto us.

Troparion — Tone 4

Thy lamb, O Jesus, cries out with a loud voice: Thee, my Bridegroom, do I long for, and seeking Thee I contend; I am crucified and buried together with Thee in Thy baptism, and I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign with Thee; I die for Thee, that I may live in Thee. Receive me as a spotless sacrifice, offered to Thee in love. By her intercessions, O merciful One, save our souls.

Readings

Epistle

Hebrews 7.18-25

¹⁸For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. ¹⁹For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. ²⁰And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: ²¹(For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) ²²By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. ²³And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: ²⁴But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. ²⁵Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Gospel

Mark 12.1-12

¹And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. ²And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. ³And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. ⁴And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. ⁵And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. ⁶Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. ⁷But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. ⁸And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. ⁹What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. ¹⁰And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: ¹¹This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? ¹²And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.

Saints commemorated