August 2, 2025

Events of the day

• Holy Prophet Elijah

  Polyeleos rank

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

  Composite reading — 3 [1] Kings 17.1-23

• Vespers

  Composite reading — 3 [1] Kings 18, 19

• Vespers

  Composite reading — 3 [1] Kings 19.19, 20, 21; 4 [2] Kings 2.1,6-14

• Matins Gospel

  Luke 4:22–30

  Show the text

  ²²All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

  ²³He said to them, “Doubtless you will tell me this parable, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.’ ”

  ²⁴He said, “Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.

  ²⁵But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land.

  ²⁶Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

  ²⁷There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian.”

  ²⁸They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things.

  ²⁹They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off the cliff.

  ³⁰But he, passing through the middle of them, went his way.

• Epistle

  Romans 13:1–10

  Show the text

  ¹Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God.

  ²Therefore he who resists the authority withstands the ordinance of God; and those who withstand will receive to themselves judgment.

  ³For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and you will have praise from the authority,

  ⁴for he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid, for he doesn’t bear the sword in vain; for he is a servant of God, an avenger for wrath to him who does evil.

  ⁵Therefore you need to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.

  ⁶For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are servants of God’s service, continually doing this very thing.

  ⁷Therefore give everyone what you owe: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if customs, then customs; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

  ⁸Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

  ⁹For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

  ¹⁰Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.

• Epistle · Prophet Elijah

  James 5:10–20

• Gospel

  Matthew 12:30–37

  Show the text

  ³⁰“He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t gather with me, scatters.

  ³¹Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

  ³²Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come.

  ³³“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.

  ³⁴You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

  ³⁵The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things.

  ³⁶I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

  ³⁷For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

• Gospel · Prophet Elijah

  Luke 4:22–30

  Show the text

  ²²All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

  ²³He said to them, “Doubtless you will tell me this parable, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.’ ”

  ²⁴He said, “Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.

  ²⁵But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land.

  ²⁶Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

  ²⁷There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian.”

  ²⁸They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things.

  ²⁹They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off the cliff.

  ³⁰But he, passing through the middle of them, went his way.

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Prayer for the departed