From the calendar, 2026.
Saturday, August 15
Dormition of the Most-Holy Theotokos
Fish allowedFish, wine and oil are allowed. No meat, dairy or eggs.
Epistle.
Philippians 2:5–11
1 min read
5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Epistle.
1 Corinthians 1:3–9
1 min read
3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,
5that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,
6even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,
7so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
8who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Gospel.
Luke 10:38–42, 11:27–28
1 min read
38Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.
39And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.
40But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.'
41And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.
42But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.'
11:27And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!'
28But He said, 'More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'
Gospel.
Matthew 19:3–12
1 min read
3The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?'
4And He answered and said to them, 'Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'
5and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
6So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.'
7They said to Him, 'Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?'
8He said to them, 'Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
9And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.'
10His disciples said to Him, 'If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.'
11But He said to them, 'All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:
12For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.'
Matins Gospel.
Luke 1:39–49, 56
1 min read
39Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,
40and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
41And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.'
46'My soul magnifies the Lord,
47And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.
56And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
Vespers Old Testament.
Genesis 28:10–17
1 min read
10Now Jacob went out from the Well of Oath and went toward Haran.
11So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. Then he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.
12Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
13So behold, the Lord stood above it and said, 'I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. Do not fear, the land on which you lie I will give to you and your seed.
14Also, your seed shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.
15Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.'
16Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'The Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.'
17So he was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.'
Vespers Old Testament.
Ezekiel 43:27–44:4
1 min read
27It will be when these days are over, on the eighth day, the priests shall offer your whole burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar, and I shall accept you,' says the Lord.'
44:1Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary that faces toward the east, but it was shut.
2So the Lord said to me, 'This gate shall be shut. It shall not be opened, and no man shall pass through it, because the Lord God of Israel will enter by it; therefore, it shall be shut.
3As for the prince, he will sit in it to eat bread before the Lord. He will go in by way of the gate chamber and go out the same way.'
4Then He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, the house of the Lord was full of glory; and I fell on my face.
Vespers Old Testament.
Proverbs 9:1–11
1 min read
1Wisdom built her house, And she supported it with seven pillars.
2She offered her sacrifices; She mixed her wine in a bowl And prepared her table.
3She sent her servants, Inviting people to the bowl with a lofty proclamation, saying,
4"He who is without discernment, Let him turn aside to me"; And to those in need of discernment, she says,
5"Come, eat my bread And drink the wine I mixed for you;
6Forsake lack of discernment, and you shall live; Seek discernment so you may live, And keep straight your understanding with knowledge."
7He who chastises evil men shall receive dishonor to himself, And he who reproves the ungodly man shall be blamed himself.
8Do not reprove evil men, so they may not hate you; Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
9Give the opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser; Instruct a righteous man, and he shall continue to receive it.
10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the counsel of saints is understanding; For to know the law is characteristic of a good mind.
11For in this manner you will live a long time, And the years of your life shall be increased.
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.