December 31, 2027

Events of the day

• Martyr Sebastian and his companions

  Commemoration

Fasting

Fast day · Nativity Fast

Nativity Fast, 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

  Titus 1:15–2:10

  Show the text

  ¹⁵To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.

  ¹⁶They profess that they know God, but by their deeds they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

  ¹But say the things which fit sound doctrine,

  ²that older men should be temperate, sensible, sober minded, sound in faith, in love, and in perseverance:

  ³and that older women likewise be reverent in behavior, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good,

  ⁴that they may train the young wives to love their husbands, to love their children,

  ⁵to be sober minded, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in subjection to their own husbands, that God’s word may not be blasphemed.

  ⁶Likewise, exhort the younger men to be sober minded.

  ⁷In all things be showing yourself an example of good works. In your teaching, be showing integrity, seriousness, incorruptibility,

  ⁸and soundness of speech that can’t be condemned, that he who opposes you may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say about us.

  ⁹Exhort servants to be in subjection to their own masters and to be well-pleasing in all things, not contradicting,

  ¹⁰not stealing, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior, in all things.

• Gospel

  Mark 9:33–41

  Show the text

  ³³He came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing among yourselves on the way?”

  ³⁴But they were silent, for they had disputed with one another on the way about who was the greatest.

  ³⁵He sat down, and called the twelve; and he said to them, “If any man wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.”

  ³⁶He took a little child, and set him in the middle of them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them,

  ³⁷“Whoever receives one such little child in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me, doesn’t receive me, but him who sent me.”

  ³⁸John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone who doesn’t follow us casting out demons in your name; and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow us.”

  ³⁹But Jesus said, “Don’t forbid him, for there is no one who will do a mighty work in my name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me.

  ⁴⁰For whoever is not against us is on our side.

  ⁴¹For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you are Christ’s, most certainly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward.

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Short penitential prayers