January 5, 2025

Events of the day

• The Ten Martyrs of Crete

  Commemoration

• Forefeast: Nativity of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ

Fasting

Fast day · Nativity Fast

Nativity Fast (from 20 Dec Old Style), Saturday and Sunday: food with oil, no fish.

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

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

• Vespers

  Genesis 14:14–20

• Vespers

  Deuteronomy 1:8–11, 15–17

• Vespers

  Deuteronomy 10:14–21

• 6th Matins Gospel

  Luke 24:36–53

  Show the text

  ³⁶As they said these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be to you.”

  ³⁷But they were terrified and filled with fear, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

  ³⁸He said to them, “Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts?

  ³⁹See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see, for a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.”

  ⁴⁰When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

  ⁴¹While they still didn’t believe for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”

  ⁴²They gave him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.

  ⁴³He took them, and ate in front of them.

  ⁴⁴He said to them, “This is what I told you, while I was still with you, that all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me must be fulfilled.”

  ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures.

  ⁴⁶He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

  ⁴⁷and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

  ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things.

  ⁴⁹Behold, I send out the promise of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.”

  ⁵⁰He led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.

  ⁵¹While he blessed them, he withdrew from them, and was carried up into heaven.

  ⁵²They worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

  ⁵³and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

• Epistle · Sunday before Nativity

  Hebrews 11:9–10, 17–23, 32–40

  Show the text

  ⁹By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.

  ¹⁰For he looked for the city which has the foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

  ¹⁷By faith, Abraham, being tested, offered up Isaac. Yes, he who had gladly received the promises was offering up his one and only son,

  ¹⁸to whom it was said, “Your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac,”

  ¹⁹concluding that God is able to raise up even from the dead. Figuratively speaking, he also did receive him back from the dead.

  ²⁰By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come.

  ²¹By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

  ²²By faith, Joseph, when his end was near, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.

  ²³By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.

  ³²What more shall I say? For the time would fail me if I told of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,

  ³³who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked out righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

  ³⁴quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, grew mighty in war, and caused foreign armies to flee.

  ³⁵Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.

  ³⁶Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment.

  ³⁷They were stoned. They were sawn apart. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They went around in sheep skins and in goat skins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated—

  ³⁸of whom the world was not worthy—wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of the earth.

  ³⁹These all, having had testimony given to them through their faith, didn’t receive the promise,

  ⁴⁰God having provided some better thing concerning us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

• Gospel · Sunday before Nativity

  Matthew 1:1–25

  Show the text

  ¹The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

  ²Abraham became the father of Isaac. Isaac became the father of Jacob. Jacob became the father of Judah and his brothers.

  ³Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron. Hezron became the father of Ram.

  ⁴Ram became the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon. Nahshon became the father of Salmon.

  ⁵Salmon became the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse.

  ⁶Jesse became the father of King David. David became the father of Solomon by her who had been Uriah’s wife.

  ⁷Solomon became the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam became the father of Abijah. Abijah became the father of Asa.

  ⁸Asa became the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat became the father of Joram. Joram became the father of Uzziah.

  ⁹Uzziah became the father of Jotham. Jotham became the father of Ahaz. Ahaz became the father of Hezekiah.

  ¹⁰Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh. Manasseh became the father of Amon. Amon became the father of Josiah.

  ¹¹Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the exile to Babylon.

  ¹²After the exile to Babylon, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel became the father of Zerubbabel.

  ¹³Zerubbabel became the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim. Eliakim became the father of Azor.

  ¹⁴Azor became the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim. Achim became the father of Eliud.

  ¹⁵Eliud became the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan. Matthan became the father of Jacob.

  ¹⁶Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

  ¹⁷So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the exile to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the carrying away to Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations.

  ¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

  ¹⁹Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly.

  ²⁰But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

  ²¹She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.”

  ²²Now all this has happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,

  ²³“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall give birth to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel;” which is, being interpreted, “God with us.”

  ²⁴Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife to himself;

  ²⁵and didn’t know her sexually until she had given birth to her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.

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)