May 21, 2024

Events of the day

• Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena

  Polyeleos rank

• Afterfeast: Pascha. The Bright Resurrection of Christ

Fasting

No fast

No fast today.

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

  3[1] Kings 8:22–23, 27–30

• Vespers

  Isaiah 61:10–62:5

• Vespers

  Isaiah 60:1–16

• Matins Gospel

  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.

• Epistle

  Acts 8:5–17

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  ⁵Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.

  ⁶The multitudes listened with one accord to the things that were spoken by Philip when they heard and saw the signs which he did.

  ⁷For unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.

  ⁸There was great joy in that city.

  ⁹But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one,

  ¹⁰to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is that great power of God.”

  ¹¹They listened to him, because for a long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.

  ¹²But when they believed Philip preaching good news concerning God’s Kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

  ¹³Simon himself also believed. Being baptized, he continued with Philip. Seeing signs and great miracles occurring, he was amazed.

  ¹⁴Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,

  ¹⁵who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit;

  ¹⁶for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus.

  ¹⁷Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

• Epistle · Saints

  Acts 26:1–5, 12–20

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  ¹Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense.

  ²“I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before you today concerning all the things that I am accused by the Jews,

  ³especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

  ⁴“Indeed, all the Jews know my way of life from my youth up, which was from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem;

  ⁵having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

  ¹²“Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests,

  ¹³at noon, O king, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who traveled with me.

  ¹⁴When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

  ¹⁵“I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

  ¹⁶But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen, and of the things which I will reveal to you;

  ¹⁷delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,

  ¹⁸to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

  ¹⁹“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

  ²⁰but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.

• Gospel

  John 6:27–33

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  ²⁷Don’t work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him.”

  ²⁸They said therefore to him, “What must we do, that we may work the works of God?”

  ²⁹Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

  ³⁰They said therefore to him, “What then do you do for a sign, that we may see and believe you? What work do you do?

  ³¹Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’ ”

  ³²Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, it wasn’t Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven.

  ³³For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”

• Gospel · Saints

  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.

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

Saints and icons

• Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine the Great
• Prayer of the day: The Jesus Prayer