August 29, 2025

Events of the day

• Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John

  Great Feast

  Commemoration of the martyrdom of John the Baptist. A strict fast day.

Fasting

Fast day · Beheading of the Forerunner

Beheading of the Forerunner: strict fast, food with oil.

• Meat: not allowed
• Dairy & eggs: not allowed
• Fish: not 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 — Isaiah 40, 41, 45, 48, 54

• Vespers

  Composite reading — Malachi 3, 4

• Vespers

  Composite reading — Wisdom of Solomon 4, 5

• Matins Gospel

  Matthew 14:1–13

  Show the text

  ¹At that time, Herod the tetrarch heard the report concerning Jesus,

  ²and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptizer. He is risen from the dead. That is why these powers work in him.”

  ³For Herod had arrested John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.

  ⁴For John said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

  ⁵When he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

  ⁶But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced among them and pleased Herod.

  ⁷Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatever she should ask.

  ⁸She, being prompted by her mother, said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptizer.”

  ⁹The king was grieved, but for the sake of his oaths, and of those who sat at the table with him, he commanded it to be given,

  ¹⁰and he sent and beheaded John in the prison.

  ¹¹His head was brought on a platter, and given to the young lady; and she brought it to her mother.

  ¹²His disciples came, and took the body, and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

  ¹³Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat, to a deserted place apart. When the multitudes heard it, they followed him on foot from the cities.

• Epistle · Forerunner

  Acts 13:25–33

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  ²⁵As John was fulfilling his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. But behold, one comes after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

  ²⁶Brothers, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, the word of this salvation is sent out to you.

  ²⁷For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they didn’t know him, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.

  ²⁸Though they found no cause for death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed.

  ²⁹When they had fulfilled all things that were written about him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb.

  ³⁰But God raised him from the dead,

  ³¹and he was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people.

  ³²We bring you good news of the promise made to the fathers,

  ³³that God has fulfilled this to us, their children, in that he raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your father.’

• Epistle

  2 Corinthians 7:10–16

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  ¹⁰For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world produces death.

  ¹¹For behold, this same thing, that you were grieved in a godly way, what earnest care it worked in you. Yes, what defense, indignation, fear, longing, zeal, and vengeance! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be pure in the matter.

  ¹²So although I wrote to you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be revealed in you in the sight of God.

  ¹³Therefore we have been comforted. In our comfort we rejoiced the more exceedingly for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.

  ¹⁴For if in anything I have boasted to him on your behalf, I was not disappointed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, so our glorying also which I made before Titus was found to be truth.

  ¹⁵His affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembers all of your obedience, how with fear and trembling you received him.

  ¹⁶I rejoice that in everything I am confident concerning you.

• Gospel · Forerunner

  Mark 6:14–30

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  ¹⁴King Herod heard this, for his name had become known, and he said, “John the Baptizer has risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”

  ¹⁵But others said, “He is Elijah.” Others said, “He is a prophet, or like one of the prophets.”

  ¹⁶But Herod, when he heard this, said, “This is John, whom I beheaded. He has risen from the dead.”

  ¹⁷For Herod himself had sent out and arrested John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for he had married her.

  ¹⁸For John said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

  ¹⁹Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him, but she couldn’t,

  ²⁰for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he did many things, and he heard him gladly.

  ²¹Then a convenient day came, that Herod on his birthday made a supper for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.

  ²²When the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and those sitting with him. The king said to the young lady, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.”

  ²³He swore to her, “Whatever you shall ask of me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”

  ²⁴She went out, and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” She said, “The head of John the Baptizer.”

  ²⁵She came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptizer on a platter.”

  ²⁶The king was exceedingly sorry, but for the sake of his oaths, and of his dinner guests, he didn’t wish to refuse her.

  ²⁷Immediately the king sent out a soldier of his guard, and commanded to bring John’s head, and he went and beheaded him in the prison,

  ²⁸and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the young lady; and the young lady gave it to her mother.

  ²⁹When his disciples heard this, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

  ³⁰The apostles gathered themselves together to Jesus, and they told him all things, whatever they had done, and whatever they had taught.

• Gospel

  Mark 2:18–22

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  ¹⁸John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and they came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?”

  ¹⁹Jesus said to them, “Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they can’t fast.

  ²⁰But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

  ²¹No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old, and a worse hole is made.

  ²²No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine pours out, and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.”

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Short penitential prayers