December 8, 2024

Events of the day

• Hieromartyrs Clement, Pope of Rome, and Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria

  Commemoration

• Leave-taking of the feast: Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple

Fasting

Fast day · Nativity Fast

Nativity Fast, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: fish is allowed.

• Meat: not allowed
• Dairy & eggs: not allowed
• Fish: allowed
• Oil: allowed
• Wine: allowed

By the Typikon (ch. 33) Tuesday and Thursday of the Apostles' and Nativity Fasts call for oil and wine only, fish only for a saint with a polyeleos; lay practice per the ROC calendar allows fish.

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

• 2nd Matins Gospel

  Mark 16:1–8

  Show the text

  ¹When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him.

  ²Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

  ³They were saying among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”

  ⁴for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back.

  ⁵Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were amazed.

  ⁶He said to them, “Don’t be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him!

  ⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you.’ ”

  ⁸They went out, and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid.

• Epistle

  Ephesians 2:14–22

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  ¹⁴For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of separation,

  ¹⁵having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace,

  ¹⁶and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility through it.

  ¹⁷He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near.

  ¹⁸For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

  ¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God,

  ²⁰being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;

  ²¹in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;

  ²²in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

• Epistle · Theotokos

  Hebrews 9:1–7

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  ¹Now indeed even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and an earthly sanctuary.

  ²For a tabernacle was prepared. In the first part were the lamp stand, the table, and the show bread; which is called the Holy Place.

  ³After the second veil was the tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,

  ⁴having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;

  ⁵and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, of which things we can’t speak now in detail.

  ⁶Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services,

  ⁷but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offers for himself, and for the errors of the people.

• Gospel

  Luke 13:10–17

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  ¹⁰He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day.

  ¹¹Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years. She was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up.

  ¹²When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.”

  ¹³He laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood up straight and glorified God.

  ¹⁴The ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the multitude, “There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day!”

  ¹⁵Therefore the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead him away to water?

  ¹⁶Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

  ¹⁷As he said these things, all his adversaries were disappointed and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

• Gospel · Theotokos

  Luke 10:38–42, 11:27–28

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: The Symbol of Faith (Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed)