December 24, 2026

Events of the day

• St Daniel the Stylite

  Commemoration

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

  Hebrews 10:35–11:7

  Show the text

  ³⁵Therefore don’t throw away your boldness, which has a great reward.

  ³⁶For you need endurance so that, having done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

  ³⁷“In a very little while, he who comes will come, and will not wait.

  ³⁸But the righteous will live by faith. If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”

  ³⁹But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the saving of the soul.

  ¹Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.

  ²For by this, the elders obtained testimony.

  ³By faith, we understand that the universe has been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible.

  ⁴By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had testimony given to him that he was righteous, God testifying with respect to his gifts; and through it he, being dead, still speaks.

  ⁵By faith, Enoch was taken away, so that he wouldn’t see death, and he was not found, because God translated him. For he has had testimony given to him that before his translation he had been well pleasing to God.

  ⁶Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

  ⁷By faith, Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a ship for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

• Gospel

  Luke 21:28–33

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  ²⁸But when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.”

  ²⁹He told them a parable. “See the fig tree and all the trees.

  ³⁰When they are already budding, you see it and know by your own selves that the summer is already near.

  ³¹Even so you also, when you see these things happening, know that God’s Kingdom is near.

  ³²Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things are accomplished.

  ³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Prayer to the Holy Spirit “O Heavenly King”