June 24, 2026

Events of the day

• Nativity of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John

  Great Feast

  The birth of John the Baptist to the righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth. Fish is allowed within the Apostles' Fast.

Fasting

Fast day · Apostles' Fast

Nativity of the Forerunner: fish is allowed within the Apostles' Fast.

• 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

  Composite reading — Genesis 17.15-17, 19; 18.11-14; 21.1-8

• Vespers

  Composite reading — Judges 13.2-8, 13-14, 17-18, 21

• Vespers

  Composite reading — Isaiah 40, 41, 45, 48, 54

• Matins Gospel

  Luke 1:24–25, 57–68, 76, 80

• Epistle · Forerunner

  Romans 13:11–14:4

  Show the text

  ¹¹Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed.

  ¹²The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let’s therefore throw off the deeds of darkness, and let’s put on the armor of light.

  ¹³Let’s walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy.

  ¹⁴But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts.

  ¹Now accept one who is weak in faith, but not for disputes over opinions.

  ²One man has faith to eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

  ³Don’t let him who eats despise him who doesn’t eat. Don’t let him who doesn’t eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him.

  ⁴Who are you who judge another’s servant? To his own lord he stands or falls. Yes, he will be made to stand, for God has power to make him stand.

• Epistle

  Romans 11:2–12

  Show the text

  ²God didn’t reject his people, which he foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says about Elijah? How he pleads with God against Israel:

  ³“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have broken down your altars. I am left alone, and they seek my life.”

  ⁴But how does God answer him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

  ⁵Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

  ⁶And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

  ⁷What then? That which Israel seeks for, that he didn’t obtain, but the chosen ones obtained it, and the rest were hardened.

  ⁸According as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, to this very day.”

  ⁹David says, “Let their table be made a snare, a trap, a stumbling block, and a retribution to them.

  ¹⁰Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see. Always keep their backs bent.”

  ¹¹I ask then, did they stumble that they might fall? May it never be! But by their fall salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.

  ¹²Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?

• Gospel · Forerunner

  Luke 1:1–25, 57–68, 76, 80

  Show the text

  ¹Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us,

  ²even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us,

  ³it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;

  ⁴that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.

  ⁵There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

  ⁶They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

  ⁷But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.

  ⁸Now while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his division

  ⁹according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

  ¹⁰The whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

  ¹¹An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

  ¹²Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

  ¹³But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias, because your request has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

  ¹⁴You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

  ¹⁵For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

  ¹⁶He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

  ¹⁷He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.”

  ¹⁸Zacharias said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

  ¹⁹The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

  ²⁰Behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day that these things will happen, because you didn’t believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

  ²¹The people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled that he delayed in the temple.

  ²²When he came out, he could not speak to them. They perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. He continued making signs to them, and remained mute.

  ²³When the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house.

  ²⁴After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying,

  ²⁵“Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among men.”

  ⁵⁷Now the time that Elizabeth should give birth was fulfilled, and she gave birth to a son.

  ⁵⁸Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.

  ⁵⁹On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.

  ⁶⁰His mother answered, “Not so; but he will be called John.”

  ⁶¹They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”

  ⁶²They made signs to his father, what he would have him called.

  ⁶³He asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, “His name is John.” They all marveled.

  ⁶⁴His mouth was opened immediately and his tongue freed, and he spoke, blessing God.

  ⁶⁵Fear came on all who lived around them, and all these sayings were talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea.

  ⁶⁶All who heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” The hand of the Lord was with him.

  ⁶⁷His father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,

  ⁶⁸“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people;

  ⁷⁶And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,

  ⁸⁰The child was growing and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

• Gospel

  Matthew 11:20–26

  Show the text

  ²⁰Then he began to denounce the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they didn’t repent.

  ²¹“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

  ²²But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

  ²³You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, you will go down to Hades. For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in you, it would have remained until today.

  ²⁴But I tell you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, on the day of judgment, than for you.”

  ²⁵At that time, Jesus answered, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants.

  ²⁶Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: The Trisagion