September 8, 2026

Events of the day

• Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos

  Twelve Great Feast

  The birth of the Virgin Mary to the righteous Joachim and Anna; the first of the Twelve Great Feasts in the church year.

Fasting

No fast

No fast today.

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 · Theotokos

  Philippians 2:5–11

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  ⁵Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus,

  ⁶who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,

  ⁷but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.

  ⁸And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross.

  ⁹Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name,

  ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,

  ¹¹and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

• Epistle

  Galatians 2:21–3:7

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  ²¹I don’t reject the grace of God. For if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!”

  ¹Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed among you as crucified?

  ²I just want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?

  ³Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?

  ⁴Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain?

  ⁵He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you and does miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?

  ⁶Even as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.”

  ⁷Know therefore that those who are of faith are children of Abraham.

• Gospel · Theotokos

  Luke 10:38–42, 11:27–28

• Gospel

  Mark 6:1–7

  Show the text

  ¹He went out from there. He came into his own country, and his disciples followed him.

  ²When the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things?” and, “What is the wisdom that is given to this man, that such mighty works come about by his hands?

  ³Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” They were offended at him.

  ⁴Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.”

  ⁵He could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people, and healed them.

  ⁶He marveled because of their unbelief. He went around the villages teaching.

  ⁷He called to himself the twelve, and began to send them out two by two; and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

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