April 5, 2026

Events of the day

• Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. Palm Sunday

  Twelve Great Feast

  Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem a week before Pascha. Fish is allowed.

Fasting

Fast day · Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday: 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 49:1–2, 8–12

• Vespers

  Zephaniah 3:14–19

• Vespers

  Zechariah 9:9–15

• Matins Gospel

  Matthew 21:1–11, 15–17

  Show the text

  ¹When they came near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

  ²saying to them, “Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them, and bring them to me.

  ³If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

  ⁴All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,

  ⁵“Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

  ⁶The disciples went, and did just as Jesus commanded them,

  ⁷and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their clothes on them; and he sat on them.

  ⁸A very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees, and spread them on the road.

  ⁹The multitudes who went in front of him, and those who followed, kept shouting, “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

  ¹⁰When he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”

  ¹¹The multitudes said, “This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

  ¹⁵But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children who were crying in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the son of David!” they were indignant,

  ¹⁶and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes. Did you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing babies you have perfected praise?’ ”

  ¹⁷He left them, and went out of the city to Bethany, and camped there.

• Epistle

  Philippians 4:4–9

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  ⁴Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, “Rejoice!”

  ⁵Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

  ⁶In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

  ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

  ⁸Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things.

  ⁹The things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me: do these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

• Gospel

  John 12:1–18

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  ¹Then six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

  ²So they made him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him.

  ³Therefore Mary took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.

  ⁴Then Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, one of his disciples, who would betray him, said,

  ⁵“Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the poor?”

  ⁶Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having the money box, used to steal what was put into it.

  ⁷But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial.

  ⁸For you always have the poor with you, but you don’t always have me.”

  ⁹A large crowd therefore of the Jews learned that he was there, and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

  ¹⁰But the chief priests conspired to put Lazarus to death also,

  ¹¹because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

  ¹²On the next day a great multitude had come to the feast. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

  ¹³they took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet him, and cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!”

  ¹⁴Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written,

  ¹⁵“Don’t be afraid, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

  ¹⁶His disciples didn’t understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him, and that they had done these things to him.

  ¹⁷The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead was testifying about it.

  ¹⁸For this cause also the multitude went and met him, because they heard that he had done this sign.

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