October 1, 2025

Events of the day

• Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos

  Great Feast

  The appearance of the Theotokos in the Blachernae church of Constantinople (10th century); especially beloved in Russia.

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

  Genesis 28:10–17

• Vespers

  Ezekiel 43:27–44:4

• Vespers

  Proverbs 9:1–11

• Matins Gospel

  Luke 1:39–49, 56

  Show the text

  ³⁹Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah,

  ⁴⁰and entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

  ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

  ⁴²She called out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

  ⁴³Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

  ⁴⁴For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy!

  ⁴⁵Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!”

  ⁴⁶Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord.

  ⁴⁷My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,

  ⁴⁸for he has looked at the humble state of his servant. For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.

  ⁴⁹For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name.

  ⁵⁶Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her house.

• Epistle

  Ephesians 3:8–21

  Show the text

  ⁸To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

  ⁹and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ,

  ¹⁰to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,

  ¹¹according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  ¹²In him we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.

  ¹³Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.

  ¹⁴For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

  ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

  ¹⁶that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,

  ¹⁷that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

  ¹⁸may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth,

  ¹⁹and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

  ²⁰Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

  ²¹to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

• Epistle · Protection

  Hebrews 9:1–7

  Show the text

  ¹Now indeed even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and an earthly sanctuary.

  ²For a tabernacle was prepared. In the first part were the lamp stand, the table, and the show bread; which is called the Holy Place.

  ³After the second veil was the tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,

  ⁴having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;

  ⁵and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, of which things we can’t speak now in detail.

  ⁶Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services,

  ⁷but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offers for himself, and for the errors of the people.

• Gospel

  Luke 5:33–39

  Show the text

  ³³They said to him, “Why do John’s disciples often fast and pray, likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink?”

  ³⁴He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?

  ³⁵But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast in those days.”

  ³⁶He also told a parable to them. “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old garment, or else he will tear the new, and also the piece from the new will not match the old.

  ³⁷No one puts new wine into old wine skins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.

  ³⁸But new wine must be put into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved.

  ³⁹No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”

• Gospel · Protection

  Luke 10:38–42, 11:27–28

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