January 25, 2023

Events of the day

• St Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople

  Polyeleos rank

Fasting

Fast day · Wednesday / Friday

Wednesday and Friday: fast without meat, dairy or eggs. Whether fish is allowed depends on the day's feast — check the church calendar.

• Meat: not allowed
• Dairy & eggs: not allowed
• Fish: not specified
• 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

  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

  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

  James 3:11–4:6

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  ¹¹Does a spring send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water?

  ¹²Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water.

  ¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom.

  ¹⁴But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth.

  ¹⁵This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic.

  ¹⁶For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed.

  ¹⁷But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

  ¹⁸Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

  ¹Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members?

  ²You lust, and don’t have. You murder and covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask.

  ³You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

  ⁴You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

  ⁵Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”?

  ⁶But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

• 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 11:22–26

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  ²²Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God.

  ²³For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says.

  ²⁴Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them.

  ²⁵Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions.

  ²⁶But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.”

• Gospel · St Gregory

  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, New Calendar (OCA practice). Text: World English Bible.

Saints and icons

• St Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople
• Prayer of the day: The Trisagion