October 9, 2025

Events of the day

• Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian

  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

  1 John 3:21–4:6

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  ²¹Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God;

  ²²so whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.

  ²³This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded.

  ²⁴He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.

  ¹Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

  ²By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

  ³and every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already.

  ⁴You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.

  ⁵They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.

  ⁶We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

• Vespers

  1 John 4:11–16

• Vespers

  1 John 4:20–5:5

• 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 · St John

  1 John 4:12–19

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  ¹²No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.

  ¹³By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

  ¹⁴We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world.

  ¹⁵Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God.

  ¹⁶We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

  ¹⁷In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so we are in this world.

  ¹⁸There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

  ¹⁹We love him, because he first loved us.

• Gospel

  Luke 6:12–19

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  ¹²In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God.

  ¹³When it was day, he called his disciples, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles:

  ¹⁴Simon, whom he also named Peter; Andrew, his brother; James; John; Philip; Bartholomew;

  ¹⁵Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Simon, who was called the Zealot;

  ¹⁶Judas the son of James; and Judas Iscariot, who also became a traitor.

  ¹⁷He came down with them, and stood on a level place, with a crowd of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;

  ¹⁸as well as those who were troubled by unclean spirits, and they were being healed.

  ¹⁹All the multitude sought to touch him, for power came out of him and healed them all.

• Epistle

  Ephesians 5:33–6:9

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  ³³Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

  ¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

  ²“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise:

  ³“that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.”

  ⁴You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

  ⁵Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ,

  ⁶not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

  ⁷with good will doing service as to the Lord, and not to men,

  ⁸knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same good again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free.

  ⁹You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.

• Gospel · St John

  John 19:25–27, 21:24–25

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Prayer to the Holy Spirit “O Heavenly King”