From the calendar, 2025.

Sunday, January 19

30th Sunday after Pentecost

Ven. Macarius the Great

Fast-free

Appointed to be read.

At the
1. EpistleColossians 3:12–16
2. GospelLuke 18:35–43
At
1. GospelJohn 20:11–18

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Epistle.

Colossians 3:12–16

1 min read

12Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

13bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

14But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

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Gospel.

Luke 18:35–43

1 min read

35Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.

36And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.

37So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.

38And he cried out, saying, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!'

39Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!'

40So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him,

41saying, 'What do you want Me to do for you?'

42He said, 'Lord, that I may receive my sight.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.'

43And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

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Matins Gospel.

John 20:11–18

1 min read

11But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.

12And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

13Then they said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' She said to them, 'Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.'

14Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.

15Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?' She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, 'Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.'

16Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' She turned and said to Him, 'Rabboni!' (which is to say, Teacher).

17Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' '

18Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.

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In remembrance.

Ven. Macarius the GreatRead the life

He was born around 300 in Egypt and in his youth was a camel driver. While still living in his village, he withdrew to a small cell to devote himself exclusively to ascesis and prayer. When the people there wanted to make him a priest, he fled to another village. There a young woman who was discovered to be pregnant falsely accused Macarius of being the father. Macarius was seized, reviled and beaten, but made no effort to defend himself; instead he took on more work in order to provide for the mother and her child. When his innocence was finally discovered, the townspeople came to ask his forgiveness; but he fled to the desert of Sketis (now called Wadi Natrun). He was then thirty years old, and for the rest of his life he dwelt in the desert.

Read the full life

Our Holy Father Mark Eugenikos, Metropolitan of Ephesus and Confessor of the Orthodox Faith (1443)Read the life

This holy defender of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church labored in the final days of the Byzantine Empire, when, pressed on all sides by the Turks, the Emperor in desperation sought union with (or rather submission to) the Papacy in hopes of obtaining aid from the West. It was St Mark who stood almost alone to prevent such a disaster to the Faith.

Read the full life

Further.

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What this is.

The Scripture the Orthodox Church reads each day, the saints it remembers, and a study aid that answers from Scripture and the Fathers and shows its sources.

Divine Liturgy. The Church's main service, at which Holy Communion is given. Its Epistle and Gospel are what most people mean by the day's readings.

Matins. The morning service of praise. On Sundays and feasts it has a Gospel of its own.

Vespers. The evening service. The Church's day begins at sunset, so a feast's Vespers is served the evening before.

Hours. Short services of psalms and prayer at set times of the day: the First, Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours.

Tone. The hymns of the week are sung in one of eight tones, or melodies, which follow each other week by week.

New Calendar. Fixed feasts are kept on the civil date, as in the OCA and the Antiochian Archdiocese. Churches on the Old Calendar keep them 13 days later. Pascha is the same for both.