Week 26 after Pentecost ·
Orthodox Study

Sunday, December 7

26th Sunday after Pentecost

St Ambrose, Bishop of Milan

Fish allowedFish, wine and oil are allowed. No meat, dairy or eggs.

Epistle.

Ephesians 5:8–19

1 min read

8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

9(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),

10finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.

11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

12For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

13But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

14Therefore He says: Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.'

15See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,

16redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

18And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

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Gospel.

Luke 17:12–19

1 min read

12Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.

13And they lifted up their voices and said, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!'

14So when He saw them, He said to them, 'Go, show yourselves to the priests.' And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

15And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

17So Jesus answered and said, 'Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?

18Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?'

19And He said to him, 'Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.'

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Matins Gospel.

Luke 24:1–12

1 min read

1Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

2But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

3Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

4And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.

5Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead?

6He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,

7saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' '

8And they remembered His words.

9Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.

11And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.

12But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

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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