October 14, 2025

Events of the day

• Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos

  Great Feast

  The appearance of the Theotokos in the Blachernae church of Constantinople (10th century); especially beloved in Russia.

• Apostle Ananias; St Romanos the Melodist

  Commemoration

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

  Genesis 28:10–17

• Vespers

  Ezekiel 43:27–44:4

• Vespers

  Proverbs 9:1–11

• Matins Gospel

  Luke 1:39–49, 56

  Show the text

  ³⁹Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah,

  ⁴⁰and entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

  ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

  ⁴²She called out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

  ⁴³Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

  ⁴⁴For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy!

  ⁴⁵Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!”

  ⁴⁶Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord.

  ⁴⁷My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,

  ⁴⁸for he has looked at the humble state of his servant. For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.

  ⁴⁹For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name.

  ⁵⁶Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her house.

• Epistle

  Philippians 1:8–14

  Show the text

  ⁸For God is my witness, how I long after all of you in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus.

  ⁹This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

  ¹⁰so that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ,

  ¹¹being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

  ¹²Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News,

  ¹³so that it became evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ,

  ¹⁴and that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.

• Epistle · Protection

  Hebrews 9:1–7

  Show the text

  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 6:37–45

  Show the text

  ³⁷Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Set free, and you will be set free.

  ³⁸“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.”

  ³⁹He spoke a parable to them. “Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit?

  ⁴⁰A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

  ⁴¹Why do you see the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye?

  ⁴²Or how can you tell your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck of chaff that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye.

  ⁴³For there is no good tree that produces rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that produces good fruit.

  ⁴⁴For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don’t gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.

  ⁴⁵The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.

• Gospel · Protection

  Luke 10:38–42, 11:27–28

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