From the calendar, 2026.

Saturday, April 18

Bright Saturday

Fast-free

Appointed to be read.

At the
1. EpistleActs 3:11–16
2. GospelJohn 3:22–33

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Epistle.

Acts 3:11–16

1 min read

11Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed.

12So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: 'Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

13The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.

14But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,

15and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.

16And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

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Gospel.

John 3:22–33

1 min read

22After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.

23Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized.

24For John had not yet been thrown into prison.

25Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification.

26And they came to John and said to him, 'Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!'

27John answered and said, 'A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.

28You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'

29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.

30He must increase, but I must decrease.

31He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.

32And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.

33He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.

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In remembrance.

Ven. John, Disciple of Gregory DecapolitesRead the life

He entered monastic life when young and became a disciple of St Gregory of Decapolis (Nov. 20). In the days of the iconoclast heresy, he was privileged to be tortured along with his teacher St Gregory and St Joseph the Hymnographer (April 3) for their defense of the holy icons. When Gregory died, John became Abbot of the Decapolite monastery in Constantinople. He reposed in peace around 820; St Joseph buried him near St Gregory’s grave.

The Holy Martyr John the New of Ioannina (1526)Read the life

He moved as a young man to Constantinople to work as a craftsman. After the Turkish conquest of Constantinople, many Christians had denied Christ and embraced Islam. John spoke with many of these about the Faith and challenged them for their betrayal of Christ. Shamed and angered, some of them had him arrested, falsely stating that he had earlier accepted Islam and then returned to Christianity, which is punishable by death in Islamic law. He was tortured and cast into prison. When he was brought out for more torture on the day of Pascha, John came forward full of joy and singing ‘Christ is risen from the dead!’ To his torturers he cried, ‘Do what you will to me, and send me as quickly as possible from this transient life into life eternal. I am Christ’s servant; I follow Christ, and I die for Christ that I may live with Him.’

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Further.

The Library

The Fathers, the services and the lives of the saints.

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Ask a question about a passage. Answers cite their sources.

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.