January 4, 2027

Events of the day

• Great-martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Bonds

  Polyeleos rank

• Forefeast: Nativity of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ

Fasting

Fast day · Nativity Fast

Nativity Fast (from 20 Dec Old Style), Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 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

• Epistle

  James 2:14–26

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  ¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him?

  ¹⁵And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food,

  ¹⁶and one of you tells them, “Go in peace. Be warmed and filled;” yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?

  ¹⁷Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.

  ¹⁸Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

  ¹⁹You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.

  ²⁰But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?

  ²¹Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

  ²²You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected.

  ²³So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.

  ²⁴You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith.

  ²⁵In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, in that she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

  ²⁶For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

• Gospel

  Mark 9:42–10:1

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  ⁴²Whoever will cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around his neck.

  ⁴³If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire,

  ⁴⁴‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’

  ⁴⁵If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life lame, rather than having your two feet to be cast into Gehenna, into the fire that will never be quenched—

  ⁴⁶‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’

  ⁴⁷If your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out. It is better for you to enter into God’s Kingdom with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire,

  ⁴⁸‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’

  ⁴⁹For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.

  ⁵⁰Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

  ¹He arose from there and came into the borders of Judea and beyond the Jordan. Multitudes came together to him again. As he usually did, he was again teaching them.

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Morning prayer of St Macarius the Great