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 12.25-26, 13.22-25

²⁵See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: ²⁶Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. ²²And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words. ²³Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you. ²⁴Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you. ²⁵Grace be with you all. Amen.

Gospel

Mark 11.11-23

¹¹And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. ¹²And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: ¹³And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. ¹⁴And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. ¹⁵And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; ¹⁶And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. ¹⁷And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. ¹⁸And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. ¹⁹And when even was come, he went out of the city. ²⁰And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. ²¹And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. ²²And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. ²³For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Saints commemorated