January 13, 2024

Events of the day

• St Melania of Rome

  Commemoration

• Leave-taking of the feast: Nativity of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ

Fasting

No fast

Christmastide (25 Dec – 4 Jan Old Style) is fast-free: no fasting.

Food rules are reference church information. Agree your personal measure of fasting with a priest; consult a doctor if you are ill.

Readings of the day

• Epistle · Saturday after Nativity

  1 Timothy 6:11–16

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  ¹¹But you, man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

  ¹²Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses.

  ¹³I command you before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate testified the good confession,

  ¹⁴that you keep the commandment without spot, blameless, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

  ¹⁵which in its own times he will show, who is the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.

  ¹⁶He alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.

• Epistle · Saturday before Theophany

  1 Timothy 3:14–4:5

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  ¹⁴These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly;

  ¹⁵but if I wait long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

  ¹⁶Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory.

  ¹But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,

  ²through the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron,

  ³forbidding marriage and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

  ⁴For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving.

  ⁵For it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.

• Epistle

  1 Thessalonians 5:14–23

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  ¹⁴We exhort you, brothers: Admonish the disorderly; encourage the faint-hearted; support the weak; be patient toward all.

  ¹⁵See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good for one another and for all.

  ¹⁶Always rejoice.

  ¹⁷Pray without ceasing.

  ¹⁸In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.

  ¹⁹Don’t quench the Spirit.

  ²⁰Don’t despise prophecies.

  ²¹Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good.

  ²²Abstain from every form of evil.

  ²³May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Gospel · Saturday after Nativity

  Matthew 12:15–21

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  ¹⁵Jesus, perceiving that, withdrew from there. Great multitudes followed him; and he healed them all,

  ¹⁶and commanded them that they should not make him known:

  ¹⁷that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

  ¹⁸“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit on him. He will proclaim justice to the nations.

  ¹⁹He will not strive, nor shout; neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

  ²⁰He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a smoking flax, until he leads justice to victory.

  ²¹In his name, the nations will hope.”

• Gospel · Saturday before Theophany

  Matthew 3:1–11

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  ¹In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,

  ²“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”

  ³For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make the way of the Lord ready! Make his paths straight!”

  ⁴Now John himself wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

  ⁵Then people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him.

  ⁶They were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

  ⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

  ⁸Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance!

  ⁹Don’t think to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

  ¹⁰“Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.

  ¹¹I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.

• Gospel

  Luke 17:3–10

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  ³Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.

  ⁴If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

  ⁵The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

  ⁶The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

  ⁷But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say when he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down at the table,’

  ⁸and will not rather tell him, ‘Prepare my supper, clothe yourself properly, and serve me, while I eat and drink. Afterward you shall eat and drink’?

  ⁹Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded? I think not.

  ¹⁰Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.’ ”

Source: Orthocal: lectionary data — Slavic tradition, Julian calendar. Text: World English Bible.

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Prayer for the departed