Monday

January 18, 2027

5 January (Old Style) · 34th week after Pentecost

Russian Orthodox Church (Old Calendar)

Old Style New Style

Month calendar

Events of the day

Eve of Theophany

Informational

A strict fast day; the Great Blessing of Water.

Forefeast: Holy Theophany. The Baptism of the Lord

Fasting

Fast day · Eve of Theophany

Eve of Theophany: strict fast; with oil on Saturday or Sunday.

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

1st Hour, Prophecy

Isaiah 35:1–10
1st Hour, Epistle

Acts 13:25–33

Show the text

²⁵As John was fulfilling his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. But behold, one comes after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
²⁶Brothers, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, the word of this salvation is sent out to you.
²⁷For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they didn’t know him, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.
²⁸Though they found no cause for death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed.
²⁹When they had fulfilled all things that were written about him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb.
³⁰But God raised him from the dead,
³¹and he was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people.
³²We bring you good news of the promise made to the fathers,
³³that God has fulfilled this to us, their children, in that he raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your father.’
1st Hour, Gospel

Matthew 3:1–11

Show the text

¹In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
²“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”
³For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make the way of the Lord ready! Make his paths straight!”
⁴Now John himself wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
⁵Then people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him.
⁶They were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
⁸Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance!
⁹Don’t think to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
¹⁰“Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.
¹¹I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.
3rd Hour, Prophecy

Isaiah 1:16–20
3rd Hour, Epistle

Acts 19:1–8
3rd Hour, Gospel

Mark 1:1–8

Show the text

¹The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
²As it is written in the prophets, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you:
³the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight!’ ”
⁴John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins.
⁵All the country of Judea and all those of Jerusalem went out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.
⁶John was clothed with camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey.
⁷He preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen.
⁸I baptized you in water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”
6th Hour, Prophecy

Isaiah 12:3–6
6th Hour, Epistle

Romans 6:3–11

Show the text

³Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
⁴We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
⁵For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;
⁶knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin.
⁷For he who has died has been freed from sin.
⁸But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him;
⁹knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him!
¹⁰For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God.
¹¹Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
6th Hour, Gospel

Mark 1:9–15
9th Hour, Prophecy

Isaiah 49:8–15
9th Hour, Epistle

Titus 2:11–14, 3:4–7

Show the text

¹¹For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
¹²instructing us to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we would live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age;
¹³looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
¹⁴who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works.
⁴But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared,
⁵not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
⁶whom he poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior;
⁷that being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
9th Hour, Gospel

Matthew 3:13–17

Show the text

¹³Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.
¹⁴But John would have hindered him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”
¹⁵But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him.
¹⁶Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him.
¹⁷Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Vespers

Genesis 1:1–13
Vespers

Exodus 14:15–18, 21–23, 27–29
Vespers

Exodus 15:22–16:1
Vespers

Joshua 3:7–8, 15–17
Vespers

4[2] Kings 2:6–14
Vespers

4[2] Kings 5:9–14
Vespers

Isaiah 1:16–20
Vespers

Genesis 32:1–10
Vespers

Exodus 2:5–10
Vespers

Judges 6:36–40
Vespers

3[1] Kings 18:30–39
Vespers

4[2] Kings 2:19–22
Vespers

Isaiah 49:8–15
Epistle · Eve of Theophany

1 Corinthians 9:19–27

Show the text

¹⁹For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.
²⁰To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law;
²¹to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law.
²²To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.
²³Now I do this for the sake of the Good News, that I may be a joint partaker of it.
²⁴Don’t you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, that you may win.
²⁵Every man who strives in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.
²⁶I therefore run like that, not aimlessly. I fight like that, not beating the air,
²⁷but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.
Gospel · Eve of Theophany

Luke 3:1–18

Show the text

¹Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
²in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.
³He came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins.
⁴As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.
⁵Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be brought low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth.
⁶All flesh will see God’s salvation.’ ”
⁷He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
⁸Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don’t begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones!
⁹Even now the ax also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.”
¹⁰The multitudes asked him, “What then must we do?”
¹¹He answered them, “He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise.”
¹²Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what must we do?”
¹³He said to them, “Collect no more than that which is appointed to you.”
¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, saying, “What about us? What must we do?” He said to them, “Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages.”
¹⁵As the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he was the Christ,
¹⁶John answered them all, “I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire,
¹⁷whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
¹⁸Then with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people,
Great Blessing of Waters

Isaiah 35:1–10
Great Blessing of Waters

Isaiah 55:1–13
Great Blessing of Waters

Isaiah 12:3–6
Great Blessing of Waters · Epistle

1 Corinthians 10:1–4

Show the text

¹Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
²and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
³and all ate the same spiritual food;
⁴and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.
Great Blessing of Waters · Gospel

Mark 1:9–11

Show the text

⁹In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
¹⁰Immediately coming up from the water, he saw the heavens parting, and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
¹¹A voice came out of the sky, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

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