Daily Readings | Christ the Savior Orthodox Church

September 3, 2026

Hieromartyr Anthimus, Bishop of Nicomedia

No Fast

Commemorations

Hieromartyr Anthimus, Bishop of Nicomedia • Holy Martyr Basilissa (309) • Our Holy Father Joannicius, Archbishop and first Patriarch of Serbia (1354)

Galatians 1.1-10, 20-2.5

¹ Paul, an apostle—not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ² and all the brothers who are with me, to the assemblies of Galatia: ³ Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father— ⁵ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. ⁶ I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”, ⁷ but there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ. ⁸ But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed. ¹⁰ For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ. ²⁰ Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I’m not lying. ²¹ Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² I was still unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea which were in Christ, ²³ but they only heard, “He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ So they glorified God in me. ¹ Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me. ² I went up by revelation, and I laid before them the Good News which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately before those who were respected, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain. ³ But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. ⁴ This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage, ⁵ to whom we gave no place in the way of subjection, not for an hour, that the truth of the Good News might continue with you.

Mark 5.1-20

¹ They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. ² When he had come out of the boat, immediately a man with an unclean spirit met him out of the tombs. ³ He lived in the tombs. Nobody could bind him any more, not even with chains, ⁴ because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the fetters broken in pieces. Nobody had the strength to tame him. ⁵ Always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones. ⁶ When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and bowed down to him, ⁷ and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, don’t torment me.” ⁸ For he said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” ⁹ He asked him, “What is your name?” He said to him, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” ¹⁰ He begged him much that he would not send them away out of the country. ¹¹ Now on the mountainside there was a great herd of pigs feeding. ¹² All the demons begged him, saying, “Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them.” ¹³ At once Jesus gave them permission. The unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and they were drowned in the sea. ¹⁴ Those who fed the pigs fled, and told it in the city and in the country. The people came to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵ They came to Jesus, and saw him who had been possessed by demons sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, even him who had the legion; and they were afraid. ¹⁶ Those who saw it declared to them what happened to him who was possessed by demons, and about the pigs. ¹⁷ They began to beg him to depart from their region. ¹⁸ As he was entering into the boat, he who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. ¹⁹ He didn’t allow him, but said to him, “Go to your house, to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you and how he had mercy on you.” ²⁰ He went his way, and began to proclaim in Decapolis how Jesus had done great things for him, and everyone marveled.

Hieromartyr Anthimos, bishop of Nicomedia, and those with him (303-304)

“After the death of the 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia (see Dec. 28), their Bishop Anthimos fled to a certain village to care for his remaining flock. The Emperor Maximian sent men in search of him. When they found him, he promised to show Anthimos to them, but first took them in as guests, fed them, and only then made himself known to them. Amazed at his kindness, the soldiers promised him to tell Maximian that they had not found him. But Anthimos went willingly with them, and converting them by his admonitions, baptized them on the way. He boldly confessed his Faith before Maximian, and after frightful tortures was beheaded in the year 303 or 304.” (Great Horologion)

Our Holy Father Theoctistus, Fellow Ascetic of St Euthymius (451), is also commemorated today. A faithful disciple of St Euthymius, he was abbot of St Euthymius’ monastery in Palestine until his repose in peace at the age of ninety.

Holy Martyr Basilissa (309)

She lived near Nicomedia during the great persecution by the Emperor Diocletian. Though she was only nine years old, she was arrested and brought before Alexander, the Governor of Bithynia. When she fearlessly proclaimed her faith in Christ, the Governor had her stripped and beaten, but she only gave thanks to God. Enraged at the steadfastness of a mere child, the Governor ordered her chained and plunged head-first into boiling pitch, then cast into a blazing furnace, then thrown to the lions. Through all these torments she was miraculously preserved. Astonished at the wonders that he beheld, Alexander fell at Basilissa’s feet and confessed that he too believed that Christ is the Savior. He was baptized by the Bishop of Nicomedia and died not long afterward. Basilissa went into the wilderness outside the city to give thanks to God for her endurance under torture and to ask Him to receive her soul in peace. While praying in this way, she entered into her rest.

Our Holy Father Joannicius, Archbishop and first Patriarch of Serbia (1354)

“Born in Prizrem, he served as first secretary to King Dušan. He became Archbishop in 1339, and in 1346 was raised to the rank of Patriarch. He was a zealous pastor, and brought order to the Serbian Church, being ‘a great upholder of the Church’s laws’. He entered into rest on September 3rd, 1349, and his relics are preserved at Pec´.” (Prologue)

Scripture from the World English Bible (Orthodox Edition). Calendar data courtesy of Orthocal.info.