Monday

April 13, 2026

31 March (Old Style) · Bright Week

Russian Orthodox Church (Old Calendar)

Old Style New Style

Month calendar

Events of the day

Hieromartyr Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra; St Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow

Polyeleos rank
Bright Monday

Commemoration
Bright Week — fast-free

Informational

Afterfeast: Pascha. The Bright Resurrection of Christ

Fasting

No fast

Bright Week is fast-free.

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

Matins Gospel · St Innocent

John 10:1–9

Show the text

¹“Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, is a thief and a robber.
²But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.
⁴Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
⁵They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers.”
⁶Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.
⁷Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door.
⁸All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them.
⁹I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.
Vespers · St Innocent

Composite reading — Proverbs 10, 3, 8
Vespers · St Innocent

Composite reading — Wisdom of Solomon 4, 5
Vespers · St Innocent

Composite reading — Proverbs 10; Wisdom of Solomon 6, 7, 8, 9
Vespers Gospel

John 20:19–25
Epistle

Acts 1:12–17, 21–26

Show the text

¹²Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
¹³When they had come in, they went up into the upper room where they were staying; that is Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.
¹⁴All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
¹⁵In these days, Peter stood up in the middle of the disciples (and the number of names was about one hundred twenty), and said,
¹⁶“Brothers, it was necessary that this Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to those who took Jesus.
¹⁷For he was counted with us, and received his portion in this ministry.
²¹“Of the men therefore who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
²²beginning from the baptism of John, to the day that he was received up from us, of these one must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
²³They put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.
²⁴They prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen
²⁵to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.”
²⁶They drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles.
Epistle · St Innocent

Hebrews 7:26–8:2

Show the text

²⁶For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
²⁷who doesn’t need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did this once for all, when he offered up himself.
²⁸For the law appoints men as high priests who have weakness, but the word of the oath which came after the law appoints a Son forever who has been perfected.
¹Now in the things which we are saying, the main point is this. We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
²a servant of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.
Gospel

John 1:18–28

Show the text

¹⁸No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has declared him.
¹⁹This is John’s testimony, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
²⁰He declared, and didn’t deny, but he declared, “I am not the Christ.”
²¹They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.”
²²They said therefore to him, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
²³He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
²⁴The ones who had been sent were from the Pharisees.
²⁵They asked him, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
²⁶John answered them, “I baptize in water, but among you stands one whom you don’t know.
²⁷He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to loosen.”
²⁸These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Gospel · St Innocent

John 10:9–16

Show the text

⁹I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.
¹⁰The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
¹¹I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
¹²He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them.
¹³The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn’t care for the sheep.
¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own;
¹⁵even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.
¹⁶I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd.
Cross Procession · 1st Reading

Matthew 28:1–20

Show the text

¹Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
²Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from the sky, and came and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat on it.
³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
⁴For fear of him, the guards shook, and became like dead men.
⁵The angel answered the women, “Don’t be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified.
⁶He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying.
⁷Go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead, and behold, he goes before you into Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.”
⁸They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word.
⁹As they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” They came and took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.
¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go tell my brothers that they should go into Galilee, and there they will see me.”
¹¹Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city, and told the chief priests all the things that had happened.
¹²When they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers,
¹³saying, “Say that his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
¹⁴If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and make you free of worry.”
¹⁵So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until today.
¹⁶But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them.
¹⁷When they saw him, they bowed down to him, but some doubted.
¹⁸Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
¹⁹Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
²⁰teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Cross Procession · 2nd Reading

Mark 16:1–8

Show the text

¹When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him.
²Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
³They were saying among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”
⁴for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back.
⁵Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were amazed.
⁶He said to them, “Don’t be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him!
⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you.’ ”
⁸They went out, and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid.
Cross Procession · 3rd Reading

Luke 24:1–12

Show the text

¹But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they and some others came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.
²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
³They entered in, and didn’t find the Lord Jesus’ body.
⁴While they were greatly perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling clothing.
⁵Becoming terrified, they bowed their faces down to the earth. They said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?
⁶He isn’t here, but is risen. Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee,
⁷saying that the Son of Man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again?”
⁸They remembered his words,
⁹returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
¹⁰Now they were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them told these things to the apostles.
¹¹These words seemed to them to be nonsense, and they didn’t believe them.
¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping and looking in, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he departed to his home, wondering what had happened.
Cross Procession · 4th Reading

John 20:1–10

Show the text

¹Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw the stone taken away from the tomb.
²Therefore she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have laid him!”
³Therefore Peter and the other disciple went out, and they went toward the tomb.
⁴They both ran together. The other disciple outran Peter, and came to the tomb first.
⁵Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying, yet he didn’t enter in.
⁶Then Simon Peter came, following him, and entered into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying,
⁷and the cloth that had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself.
⁸So then the other disciple who came first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed.
⁹For as yet they didn’t know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
¹⁰So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
Cross Procession · 5th Reading

Luke 24:36–53

Show the text

³⁶As they said these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be to you.”
³⁷But they were terrified and filled with fear, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
³⁸He said to them, “Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts?
³⁹See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see, for a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.”
⁴⁰When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
⁴¹While they still didn’t believe for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”
⁴²They gave him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
⁴³He took them, and ate in front of them.
⁴⁴He said to them, “This is what I told you, while I was still with you, that all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me must be fulfilled.”
⁴⁵Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures.
⁴⁶He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
⁴⁷and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things.
⁴⁹Behold, I send out the promise of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.”
⁵⁰He led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
⁵¹While he blessed them, he withdrew from them, and was carried up into heaven.
⁵²They worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
⁵³and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

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

Saints and icons

Prayer of the day: Paschal Troparion