April 25, 2035

Events of the day

• Great and Holy Wednesday

  Commemoration

  Holy Week: a distinct period of strict fasting following Great Lent.

Fasting

Fast day · Holy Week

Holy Week (Monday–Wednesday): xerophagy.

• Meat: not allowed
• Dairy & eggs: not allowed
• Fish: not allowed
• Oil: not allowed
• Wine: not allowed
• Xerophagy

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

• Gospel · Bridegroom

  John 12:17–50

  Show the text

  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.

  ¹⁹The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.”

  ²⁰Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast.

  ²¹These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”

  ²²Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus.

  ²³Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

  ²⁴Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.

  ²⁵He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life.

  ²⁶If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

  ²⁷“Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time?’ But I came to this time for this cause.

  ²⁸Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

  ²⁹Therefore the multitude who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

  ³⁰Jesus answered, “This voice hasn’t come for my sake, but for your sakes.

  ³¹Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out.

  ³²And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

  ³³But he said this, signifying by what kind of death he should die.

  ³⁴The multitude answered him, “We have heard out of the law that the Christ remains forever. How do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up?’ Who is this Son of Man?”

  ³⁵Jesus therefore said to them, “Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness doesn’t overtake you. He who walks in the darkness doesn’t know where he is going.

  ³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become children of light.” Jesus said these things, and he departed and hid himself from them.

  ³⁷But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they didn’t believe in him,

  ³⁸that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, “Lord, who has believed our report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

  ³⁹For this cause they couldn’t believe, for Isaiah said again,

  ⁴⁰“He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and would turn, and I would heal them.”

  ⁴¹Isaiah said these things when he saw his glory, and spoke of him.

  ⁴²Nevertheless even many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they didn’t confess it, so that they wouldn’t be put out of the synagogue,

  ⁴³for they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise.

  ⁴⁴Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me.

  ⁴⁵He who sees me sees him who sent me.

  ⁴⁶I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness.

  ⁴⁷If anyone listens to my sayings, and doesn’t believe, I don’t judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

  ⁴⁸He who rejects me, and doesn’t receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke will judge him in the last day.

  ⁴⁹For I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

  ⁵⁰I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak.”

• 6th Hour

  Ezekiel 2:3–3:3

• Vespers

  Exodus 2:11–22

• Vespers

  Job 2:1–10

• Vespers · St Mark

  James 1:1–12

• Vespers · St Mark

  James 1:13–27

• Vespers · St Mark

  James 2:1–13

  Show the text

  ¹My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality.

  ²For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in,

  ³and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing and say, “Sit here in a good place;” and you tell the poor man, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool”

  ⁴haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

  ⁵Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?

  ⁶But you have dishonored the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts?

  ⁷Don’t they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called?

  ⁸However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well.

  ⁹But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

  ¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

  ¹¹For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

  ¹²So speak and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom.

  ¹³For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

• Matins Gospel · St Mark

  Luke 10:1–15

  Show the text

  ¹Now after these things, the Lord also appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of him into every city and place where he was about to come.

  ²Then he said to them, “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest.

  ³Go your ways. Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.

  ⁴Carry no purse, nor wallet, nor sandals. Greet no one on the way.

  ⁵Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’

  ⁶If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.

  ⁷Remain in that same house, eating and drinking the things they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Don’t go from house to house.

  ⁸Into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat the things that are set before you.

  ⁹Heal the sick who are there, and tell them, ‘God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’

  ¹⁰But into whatever city you enter, and they don’t receive you, go out into its streets and say,

  ¹¹‘Even the dust from your city that clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’

  ¹²I tell you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.

  ¹³“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, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

  ¹⁴But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you.

  ¹⁵You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.

• Epistle · St Mark

  1 Peter 5:6–14

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  ⁶Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time,

  ⁷casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.

  ⁸Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

  ⁹Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings.

  ¹⁰But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

  ¹¹To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

  ¹²Through Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

  ¹³She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you. So does Mark, my son.

  ¹⁴Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to all of you who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

• Gospel · Presanctified

  Matthew 26:6–16

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  ⁶Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

  ⁷a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table.

  ⁸But when his disciples saw this, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?

  ⁹For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.”

  ¹⁰However, knowing this, Jesus said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has done a good work for me.

  ¹¹For you always have the poor with you; but you don’t always have me.

  ¹²For in pouring this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

  ¹³Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of as a memorial of her.”

  ¹⁴Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests,

  ¹⁵and said, “What are you willing to give me, that I should deliver him to you?” They weighed out for him thirty pieces of silver.

  ¹⁶From that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

• Gospel · St Mark

  Mark 6:7–13

  Show the text

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

  ⁸He commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a staff only: no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse,

  ⁹but to wear sandals, and not put on two tunics.

  ¹⁰He said to them, “Wherever you enter into a house, stay there until you depart from there.

  ¹¹Whoever will not receive you nor hear you, as you depart from there, shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony against them. Assuredly, I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

  ¹²They went out and preached that people should repent.

  ¹³They cast out many demons, and anointed many with oil who were sick, and healed them.

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

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Prayer of St Ephrem the Syrian