July 12, 2025

Events of the day

• Holy, Glorious and All-praised Chief Apostles Peter and Paul

  Great Feast

  Memory of the chief apostles; the Apostles' Fast ends on the eve of this feast.

Fasting

No fast

No fast today.

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

  1 Peter 1:3–9

• Vespers

  1 Peter 1:13–19

• Vespers

  1 Peter 2:11–24

• Matins Gospel

  John 21:15–25

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  ¹⁵So when they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

  ¹⁶He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”

  ¹⁷He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?” Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, “Do you have affection for me?” He said to him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

  ¹⁸Most certainly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you don’t want to go.”

  ¹⁹Now he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. When he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

  ²⁰Then Peter, turning around, saw a disciple following. This was the disciple whom Jesus loved, the one who had also leaned on Jesus’ breast at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”

  ²¹Peter seeing him, said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”

  ²²Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.”

  ²³This saying therefore went out among the brothers, that this disciple wouldn’t die. Yet Jesus didn’t say to him that he wouldn’t die, but, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you?”

  ²⁴This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and wrote these things. We know that his witness is true.

  ²⁵There are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they would all be written, I suppose that even the world itself wouldn’t have room for the books that would be written.

• Epistle · Apostles

  2 Corinthians 11:21–12:9

• Epistle

  Romans 8:14–21

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  ¹⁴For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.

  ¹⁵For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

  ¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;

  ¹⁷and if children, then heirs: heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.

  ¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.

  ¹⁹For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.

  ²⁰For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope

  ²¹that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

• Gospel · Apostles

  Matthew 16:13–19

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  ¹³Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

  ¹⁴They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

  ¹⁵He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

  ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

  ¹⁷Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

  ¹⁸I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

  ¹⁹I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.”

• Gospel

  Matthew 9:9–13

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  ⁹As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, “Follow me.” He got up and followed him.

  ¹⁰As he sat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.

  ¹¹When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

  ¹²When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.

  ¹³But you go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

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