December 20, 2023

Events of the day

No commemorations in the content package for this day yet

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

Fasting

Fast day · Nativity Fast

Nativity Fast (from 20 Dec Old Style), Monday, 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

  Hebrews 5:11–6:8

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  ¹¹About him we have many words to say, and hard to interpret, seeing you have become dull of hearing.

  ¹²For although by this time you should be teachers, you again need to have someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the revelations of God. You have come to need milk, and not solid food.

  ¹³For everyone who lives on milk is not experienced in the word of righteousness, for he is a baby.

  ¹⁴But solid food is for those who are full grown, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.

  ¹Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let’s press on to perfection—not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God,

  ²of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

  ³This will we do, if God permits.

  ⁴For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,

  ⁵and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

  ⁶and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame.

  ⁷For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it and produces a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God;

  ⁸but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

• Gospel

  Mark 10:11–16

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  ¹¹He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife, and marries another, commits adultery against her.

  ¹²If a woman herself divorces her husband, and marries another, she commits adultery.”

  ¹³They were bringing to him little children, that he should touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who were bringing them.

  ¹⁴But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation, and said to them, “Allow the little children to come to me! Don’t forbid them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these.

  ¹⁵Most certainly I tell you, whoever will not receive God’s Kingdom like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.”

  ¹⁶He took them in his arms, and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: The Trisagion