Week 10 after Pentecost ·
Orthodox Study

Saturday, August 16

Image of Christ Not Made by Hands

Wine & oilWine and oil are allowed. No meat, dairy, eggs or fish.

Appointed to be read.

  1. At the

    1. EpistleRomans 15:30–33
    2. EpistleColossians 1:12–18
    3. GospelMatthew 17:24–18:4
    4. GospelLuke 9:51–56, 10:22–24

More than one commemoration is kept today, so more than one Epistle and Gospel is appointed.

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Epistle.

Romans 15:30–33

1 min read

30Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me,

31that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,

32that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you.

33Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

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Epistle.

Colossians 1:12–18

1 min read

12giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

13He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

14in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

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Gospel.

Matthew 17:24–18:4

1 min read

24When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, 'Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?'

25He said, 'Yes.'

26And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, 'What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?' Peter said to Him, 'From strangers.'

27Jesus said to him, 'Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.'

18:1At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?'

2Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,

3and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

4Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

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Gospel.

Luke 9:51–56, 10:22–24

1 min read

51Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,

52and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.

53But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.

54And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?'

55But He turned and rebuked them, and said, 'You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.

56For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.' And they went to another village.

10:22All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.'

23Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, 'Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see;

24for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.'

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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.

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In the margin · source text