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

2 Timothy 2.20-26

²⁰But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. ²¹If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. ²²Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. ²⁴And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, ²⁵In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; ²⁶And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Gospel

Mark 12.13-17

¹³And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. ¹⁴And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Cæsar, or not? ¹⁵Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. ¹⁶And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Cæsar’s. ¹⁷And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.

Saints commemorated