December 29, 2022

Events of the day

No commemorations in the content package for this day yet

• Afterfeast: Nativity of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ

Fasting

No fast

Christmastide (25 Dec – 4 Jan Old Style) is fast-free: no fasting.

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

  Hebrews 7:1–6

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  ¹For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

  ²to whom also Abraham divided a tenth part of all (being first, by interpretation, “king of righteousness”, and then also “king of Salem”, which means “king of peace”,

  ³without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God), remains a priest continually.

  ⁴Now consider how great this man was, to whom even Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth out of the best plunder.

  ⁵They indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brothers, though these have come out of the body of Abraham,

  ⁶but he whose genealogy is not counted from them has accepted tithes from Abraham, and has blessed him who has the promises.

• Gospel

  Mark 11:27–33

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  ²⁷They came again to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him,

  ²⁸and they began saying to him, “By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?”

  ²⁹Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

  ³⁰The baptism of John—was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me.”

  ³¹They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we should say, ‘From heaven;’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

  ³²If we should say, ‘From men’ ”—they feared the people, for all held John to really be a prophet.

  ³³They answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said to them, “Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Source: Orthocal: lectionary data — Slavic tradition, New Calendar (OCA practice). Text: World English Bible.

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Prayer to the Holy Spirit “O Heavenly King”