December 8, 2026

Events of the day

• Hieromartyrs Clement, Pope of Rome, and Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria

  Commemoration

• Leave-taking of the feast: Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple

Fasting

Fast day · Nativity Fast

Nativity Fast, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: fish is allowed.

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

By the Typikon (ch. 33) Tuesday and Thursday of the Apostles' and Nativity Fasts call for oil and wine only, fish only for a saint with a polyeleos; lay practice per the ROC calendar allows fish.

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

• Epistle

  2 Timothy 3:16–4:4

  Show the text

  ¹⁶Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,

  ¹⁷that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

  ¹I command you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom:

  ²preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all patience and teaching.

  ³For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts,

  ⁴and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn away to fables.

• Epistle · Theotokos

  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 17:26–37

• Gospel · Theotokos

  Luke 10:38–42, 11:27–28

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: The Jesus Prayer