April 8, 2026

Events of the day

• Great and Holy Wednesday

  Commemoration

  Holy Week: a distinct period of strict fasting following Great Lent.

• Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel

  Commemoration

• ? The forefeast/leave-taking of “Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos” this year depends on Triodion rules not yet in the verified table — check a printed calendar.

Fasting

Fast day · Holy Week

Holy Week (Monday–Wednesday): xerophagy.

• Meat: not allowed
• Dairy & eggs: not allowed
• Fish: not allowed
• Oil: not allowed
• Wine: not allowed
• Xerophagy

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

• Gospel · Bridegroom

  John 12:17–50

  Show the text

  ¹⁷The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead was testifying about it.

  ¹⁸For this cause also the multitude went and met him, because they heard that he had done this sign.

  ¹⁹The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.”

  ²⁰Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast.

  ²¹These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”

  ²²Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus.

  ²³Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

  ²⁴Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.

  ²⁵He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life.

  ²⁶If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

  ²⁷“Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time?’ But I came to this time for this cause.

  ²⁸Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

  ²⁹Therefore the multitude who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

  ³⁰Jesus answered, “This voice hasn’t come for my sake, but for your sakes.

  ³¹Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out.

  ³²And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

  ³³But he said this, signifying by what kind of death he should die.

  ³⁴The multitude answered him, “We have heard out of the law that the Christ remains forever. How do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up?’ Who is this Son of Man?”

  ³⁵Jesus therefore said to them, “Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness doesn’t overtake you. He who walks in the darkness doesn’t know where he is going.

  ³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become children of light.” Jesus said these things, and he departed and hid himself from them.

  ³⁷But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they didn’t believe in him,

  ³⁸that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, “Lord, who has believed our report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

  ³⁹For this cause they couldn’t believe, for Isaiah said again,

  ⁴⁰“He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and would turn, and I would heal them.”

  ⁴¹Isaiah said these things when he saw his glory, and spoke of him.

  ⁴²Nevertheless even many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they didn’t confess it, so that they wouldn’t be put out of the synagogue,

  ⁴³for they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise.

  ⁴⁴Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me.

  ⁴⁵He who sees me sees him who sent me.

  ⁴⁶I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness.

  ⁴⁷If anyone listens to my sayings, and doesn’t believe, I don’t judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

  ⁴⁸He who rejects me, and doesn’t receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke will judge him in the last day.

  ⁴⁹For I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

  ⁵⁰I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak.”

• 6th Hour

  Ezekiel 2:3–3:3

• Vespers

  Exodus 2:11–22

• Vespers

  Job 2:1–10

• Epistle · Theotokos

  Hebrews 2:11–18

  Show the text

  ¹¹For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

  ¹²saying, “I will declare your name to my brothers. Among the congregation I will sing your praise.”

  ¹³Again, “I will put my trust in him.” Again, “Behold, here I am with the children whom God has given me.”

  ¹⁴Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in the same way partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

  ¹⁵and might deliver all of them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

  ¹⁶For most certainly, he doesn’t give help to angels, but he gives help to the offspring of Abraham.

  ¹⁷Therefore he was obligated in all things to be made like his brothers, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.

  ¹⁸For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

• Gospel · Presanctified

  Matthew 26:6–16

  Show the text

  ⁶Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

  ⁷a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table.

  ⁸But when his disciples saw this, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?

  ⁹For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.”

  ¹⁰However, knowing this, Jesus said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has done a good work for me.

  ¹¹For you always have the poor with you; but you don’t always have me.

  ¹²For in pouring this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

  ¹³Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of as a memorial of her.”

  ¹⁴Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests,

  ¹⁵and said, “What are you willing to give me, that I should deliver him to you?” They weighed out for him thirty pieces of silver.

  ¹⁶From that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

• Gospel · Theotokos

  Luke 1:24–38

  Show the text

  ²⁴After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying,

  ²⁵“Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among men.”

  ²⁶Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

  ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary.

  ²⁸Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!”

  ²⁹But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be.

  ³⁰The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

  ³¹Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’

  ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,

  ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.”

  ³⁴Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”

  ³⁵The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.

  ³⁶Behold, Elizabeth your relative also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

  ³⁷For nothing spoken by God is impossible.”

  ³⁸Mary said, “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” The angel departed from her.

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Prayer of St Ephrem the Syrian