February 2, 2024

Events of the day

• Meeting of the Lord in the Temple

  Twelve Great Feast

  The forty-day-old Christ Child is brought to the Temple and received by the righteous Simeon and the prophetess Anna.

Fasting

Fast day · Wednesday / Friday

A great feast on Wednesday or Friday: 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

  Composite reading — Exodus 12, 13; Numbers 8; Leviticus 12

• Vespers

  Isaiah 6:1–12

• Vespers

  Composite reading — Isaiah 19.1, 3, 4-5, 12, 16, 19-21

• Matins Gospel

  Luke 2:25–32

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  ²⁵Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.

  ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

  ²⁷He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of the law,

  ²⁸then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

  ²⁹“Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace;

  ³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation,

  ³¹which you have prepared before the face of all peoples;

  ³²a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.”

• Epistle · Meeting

  Hebrews 7:7–17

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  ⁷But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.

  ⁸Here people who die receive tithes, but there one receives tithes of whom it is testified that he lives.

  ⁹We can say that through Abraham even Levi, who receives tithes, has paid tithes,

  ¹⁰for he was yet in the body of his father when Melchizedek met him.

  ¹¹Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people have received the law), what further need was there for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

  ¹²For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made also in the law.

  ¹³For he of whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.

  ¹⁴For it is evident that our Lord has sprung out of Judah, about which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.

  ¹⁵This is yet more abundantly evident, if after the likeness of Melchizedek there arises another priest,

  ¹⁶who has been made, not after the law of a fleshly commandment, but after the power of an endless life;

  ¹⁷for it is testified, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”

• Epistle

  Hebrews 11:8, 11–16

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  ⁸By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went.

  ¹¹By faith, even Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised.

  ¹²Therefore as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as innumerable as the sand which is by the sea shore, were fathered by one man, and him as good as dead.

  ¹³These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

  ¹⁴For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.

  ¹⁵If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return.

  ¹⁶But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

• Gospel · Meeting

  Luke 2:22–40

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  ²²When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord

  ²³(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),

  ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

  ²⁵Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.

  ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

  ²⁷He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of the law,

  ²⁸then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

  ²⁹“Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace;

  ³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation,

  ³¹which you have prepared before the face of all peoples;

  ³²a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.”

  ³³Joseph and his mother were marveling at the things which were spoken concerning him,

  ³⁴and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against.

  ³⁵Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

  ³⁶There was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,

  ³⁷and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn’t depart from the temple, worshiping with fastings and petitions night and day.

  ³⁸Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.

  ³⁹When they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.

  ⁴⁰The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

• Gospel

  Mark 9:33–41

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  ³³He came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing among yourselves on the way?”

  ³⁴But they were silent, for they had disputed with one another on the way about who was the greatest.

  ³⁵He sat down, and called the twelve; and he said to them, “If any man wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.”

  ³⁶He took a little child, and set him in the middle of them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them,

  ³⁷“Whoever receives one such little child in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me, doesn’t receive me, but him who sent me.”

  ³⁸John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone who doesn’t follow us casting out demons in your name; and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow us.”

  ³⁹But Jesus said, “Don’t forbid him, for there is no one who will do a mighty work in my name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me.

  ⁴⁰For whoever is not against us is on our side.

  ⁴¹For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you are Christ’s, most certainly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward.

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