April 19, 2025

Events of the day

• Great and Holy Saturday

  Commemoration

  Holy Week: a distinct period of strict fasting following Great Lent.

Fasting

Fast day · Holy Week

Great Saturday: cooked food without oil.

• Meat: not allowed
• Dairy & eggs: not allowed
• Fish: not allowed
• Oil: not allowed
• Wine: not 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

• Matins · Prophecy

  Ezekiel 37:1–14

• Matins Epistle

  1 Corinthians 5:6–8; Galatians 3:13–14

• Matins Gospel

  Matthew 27:62–66

  Show the text

  ⁶²Now on the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate,

  ⁶³saying, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’

  ⁶⁴Command therefore that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come at night and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He is risen from the dead;’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”

  ⁶⁵Pilate said to them, “You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you can.”

  ⁶⁶So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone.

• Vespers · 1st reading

  Genesis 1:1–13

• Vespers · 2nd reading

  Isaiah 60:1–16

• Vespers · 3rd reading

  Exodus 12:1–11

• Vespers · 4th reading

  Jonah 1:1–4:11

• Vespers · 5th reading

  Joshua 5:10–15

• Vespers · 6th reading

  Exodus 13:20–15:19

• Vespers · 7th reading

  Zephaniah 3:8–15

• Vespers · 8th reading

  3[1] Kings 17:8–24

• Vespers · 9th reading

  Isaiah 61:10–62:5

• Vespers · 10th reading

  Genesis 22:1–18

• Vespers · 11th reading

  Isaiah 61:1–9

• Vespers · 12th reading

  4[2] Kings 4:8–37

• Vespers · 13th reading

  Isaiah 63:11–64:5

• Vespers · 14th reading

  Jeremiah 31:31–34

• Vespers · 15th reading

  Daniel 3:1–23; Song of the Three 1–66 with verses

• Epistle

  Romans 6:3–11

  Show the text

  ³Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

  ⁴We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.

  ⁵For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;

  ⁶knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin.

  ⁷For he who has died has been freed from sin.

  ⁸But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him;

  ⁹knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him!

  ¹⁰For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God.

  ¹¹Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• Gospel

  Matthew 28:1–20

  Show the text

  ¹Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.

  ²Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from the sky, and came and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat on it.

  ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.

  ⁴For fear of him, the guards shook, and became like dead men.

  ⁵The angel answered the women, “Don’t be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified.

  ⁶He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying.

  ⁷Go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead, and behold, he goes before you into Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.”

  ⁸They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word.

  ⁹As they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” They came and took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.

  ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go tell my brothers that they should go into Galilee, and there they will see me.”

  ¹¹Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city, and told the chief priests all the things that had happened.

  ¹²When they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers,

  ¹³saying, “Say that his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.

  ¹⁴If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and make you free of worry.”

  ¹⁵So they took the money and did as they were told. This saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until today.

  ¹⁶But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them.

  ¹⁷When they saw him, they bowed down to him, but some doubted.

  ¹⁸Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

  ¹⁹Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

  ²⁰teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Prayer of St Ephrem the Syrian