February 7, 2031

Events of the day

• St Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople

  Polyeleos rank

Fasting

No fast

The week after the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is fast-free, including Wednesday and Friday.

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

  Composite reading — Proverbs 10; Wisdom of Solomon 6, 7, 8, 9

• Vespers

  Wisdom of Solomon 4:7–15

• Matins Gospel

  John 10:1–9

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  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

  1 John 2:7–17

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  ⁷Brothers, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

  ⁸Again, I write a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you; because the darkness is passing away and the true light already shines.

  ⁹He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness even until now.

  ¹⁰He who loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no occasion for stumbling in him.

  ¹¹But he who hates his brother is in the darkness, and walks in the darkness, and doesn’t know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

  ¹²I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.

  ¹³I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, little children, because you know the Father.

  ¹⁴I have written to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God remains in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

  ¹⁵Don’t love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love isn’t in him.

  ¹⁶For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, isn’t the Father’s, but is the world’s.

  ¹⁷The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God’s will remains forever.

• Epistle · St Gregory

  1 Corinthians 12:7–11

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  ⁷But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all.

  ⁸For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;

  ⁹to another faith, by the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, by the same Spirit;

  ¹⁰and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another different kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages.

  ¹¹But the one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires.

• Gospel

  Mark 14:3–9

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  ³While he was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard—very costly. She broke the jar, and poured it over his head.

  ⁴But there were some who were indignant among themselves, saying, “Why has this ointment been wasted?

  ⁵For this might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor.” So they grumbled against her.

  ⁶But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for me.

  ⁷For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want to, you can do them good; but you will not always have me.

  ⁸She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying.

  ⁹Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News may be preached throughout the whole world, that which this woman has done will also be spoken of for a memorial of her.”

• Gospel · St Gregory

  John 10:9–16

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  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

• St Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople
• Prayer of the day: Short penitential prayers