December 4, 2025

Events of the day

• Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple

  Twelve Great Feast

  The dedication of the three-year-old Mary to God in the Temple of Jerusalem; falls within the Nativity Fast, when fish is allowed.

Fasting

Fast day · Nativity Fast

Entry of the Theotokos: fish is allowed within the Nativity Fast.

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

  Composite reading — Exodus 40:1-5, 9-10, 16, 34-35

• Vespers

  Composite reading — 3 [1] Kings 8:1, 3-7, 9-11

• Vespers

  Ezekiel 43:27–44:4

• Matins Gospel

  Luke 1:39–49, 56

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  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 · Entrance

  Hebrews 9:1–7

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  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.

• Epistle

  1 Timothy 3:1–13

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  ¹This is a faithful saying: someone who seeks to be an overseer desires a good work.

  ²The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching;

  ³not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;

  ⁴one who rules his own house well, having children in subjection with all reverence;

  ⁵(but how could someone who doesn’t know how to rule one’s own house take care of God’s assembly?)

  ⁶not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.

  ⁷Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.

  ⁸Servants, in the same way, must be reverent, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for money,

  ⁹holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

  ¹⁰Let them also first be tested; then let them serve if they are blameless.

  ¹¹Their wives in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, and faithful in all things.

  ¹²Let servants be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

  ¹³For those who have served well gain for themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

• Gospel · Entrance

  Luke 10:38–42, 11:27–28

• Gospel

  Luke 18:31–34

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  ³¹He took the twelve aside, and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be completed.

  ³²For he will be delivered up to the Gentiles, will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit on.

  ³³They will scourge and kill him. On the third day, he will rise again.”

  ³⁴They understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they didn’t understand the things that were said.

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