April 20, 2029

Events of the day

• St George, Bishop of Mitylene

  Commemoration

• Afterfeast: Pascha. The Bright Resurrection of Christ

Fasting

Fast day · Wednesday / Friday

Wednesday and Friday from Thomas Sunday to Pentecost: fish is allowed.

• Meat: not allowed
• Dairy & eggs: not allowed
• Fish: allowed
• Oil: allowed
• Wine: allowed

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 · St Tikhon

  Wisdom of Solomon 3:1–9

• Vespers · St Tikhon

  Wisdom of Solomon 5:15–6:3

• Vespers · St Tikhon

  Wisdom of Solomon 4:7–15

• Matins Gospel · St Tikhon

  John 10:1–9

  Show the text

  ¹“Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, is a thief and a robber.

  ²But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

  ³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.

  ⁴Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

  ⁵They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers.”

  ⁶Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.

  ⁷Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door.

  ⁸All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them.

  ⁹I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.

• Epistle

  Acts 5:1–11

  Show the text

  ¹But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession,

  ²and kept back part of the price, his wife also being aware of it, then brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

  ³But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the price of the land?

  ⁴While you kept it, didn’t it remain your own? After it was sold, wasn’t it in your power? How is it that you have conceived this thing in your heart? You haven’t lied to men, but to God.”

  ⁵Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things.

  ⁶The young men arose and wrapped him up, and they carried him out and buried him.

  ⁷About three hours later, his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in.

  ⁸Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” She said, “Yes, for so much.”

  ⁹But Peter asked her, “How is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

  ¹⁰She fell down immediately at his feet and died. The young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband.

  ¹¹Great fear came on the whole assembly, and on all who heard these things.

• Epistle · St Tikhon

  Hebrews 7:26–8:2

  Show the text

  ²⁶For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

  ²⁷who doesn’t need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did this once for all, when he offered up himself.

  ²⁸For the law appoints men as high priests who have weakness, but the word of the oath which came after the law appoints a Son forever who has been perfected.

  ¹Now in the things which we are saying, the main point is this. We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,

  ²a servant of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.

• Gospel

  John 5:30–6:2

  Show the text

  ³⁰I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous; because I don’t seek my own will, but the will of my Father who sent me.

  ³¹“If I testify about myself, my witness is not valid.

  ³²It is another who testifies about me. I know that the testimony which he testifies about me is true.

  ³³You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth.

  ³⁴But the testimony which I receive is not from man. However, I say these things that you may be saved.

  ³⁵He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

  ³⁶But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John, for the works which the Father gave me to accomplish, the very works that I do, testify about me, that the Father has sent me.

  ³⁷The Father himself, who sent me, has testified about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form.

  ³⁸You don’t have his word living in you, because you don’t believe him whom he sent.

  ³⁹“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me.

  ⁴⁰Yet you will not come to me, that you may have life.

  ⁴¹I don’t receive glory from men.

  ⁴²But I know you, that you don’t have God’s love in yourselves.

  ⁴³I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.

  ⁴⁴How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God?

  ⁴⁵“Don’t think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, even Moses, on whom you have set your hope.

  ⁴⁶For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me.

  ⁴⁷But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

  ¹After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is also called the Sea of Tiberias.

  ²A great multitude followed him, because they saw his signs which he did on those who were sick.

• Gospel · St Tikhon

  John 10:9–16

  Show the text

  ⁹I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.

  ¹⁰The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

  ¹¹I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

  ¹²He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them.

  ¹³The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn’t care for the sheep.

  ¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own;

  ¹⁵even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.

  ¹⁶I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd.

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Short penitential prayers