December 19, 2027

Events of the day

• St Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia

  Polyeleos rank

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

• Vespers

  Composite reading — Proverbs 10, 3, 8

• Vespers

  Proverbs 10:31–11:12

• Vespers

  Wisdom of Solomon 4:7–15

• 4th Matins Gospel

  Luke 24:1–12

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  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.

• Epistle

  Ephesians 5:8–19

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  ⁸For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,

  ⁹for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,

  ¹⁰proving what is well pleasing to the Lord.

  ¹¹Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.

  ¹²For it is a shame even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.

  ¹³But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light.

  ¹⁴Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

  ¹⁵Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise,

  ¹⁶redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

  ¹⁷Therefore don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

  ¹⁸Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

  ¹⁹speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

• Epistle · St Nicholas

  Hebrews 13:17–21

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  ¹⁷Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch on behalf of your souls, as those who will give account, that they may do this with joy, and not with groaning, for that would be unprofitable for you.

  ¹⁸Pray for us, for we are persuaded that we have a good conscience, desiring to live honorably in all things.

  ¹⁹I strongly urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you sooner.

  ²⁰Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus,

  ²¹make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

• Gospel

  Luke 17:12–19

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  ¹²As he entered into a certain village, ten men who were lepers met him, who stood at a distance.

  ¹³They lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

  ¹⁴When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As they went, they were cleansed.

  ¹⁵One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice.

  ¹⁶He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan.

  ¹⁷Jesus answered, “Weren’t the ten cleansed? But where are the nine?

  ¹⁸Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”

  ¹⁹Then he said to him, “Get up, and go your way. Your faith has healed you.”

• Gospel · St Nicholas

  Luke 6:17–23

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  ¹⁷He came down with them, and stood on a level place, with a crowd of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;

  ¹⁸as well as those who were troubled by unclean spirits, and they were being healed.

  ¹⁹All the multitude sought to touch him, for power came out of him and healed them all.

  ²⁰He lifted up his eyes to his disciples, and said, “Blessed are you who are poor, God’s Kingdom is yours.

  ²¹Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

  ²²Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.

  ²³Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven, for their fathers did the same thing to the prophets.

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

Saints and icons

• St Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia
• Prayer of the day: Troparion of St Nicholas