From the calendar, 2028.

Wednesday, October 4

Hieromartyr Hierotheus, Bishop of Athens

Strict fastNo meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil.

Appointed to be read.

At the
1. EpistleEphesians 5:25–33
2. GospelLuke 6:46–7:1

Ask about these readings in Study

Epistle.

Ephesians 5:25–33

1 min read

25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

26that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

27that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

28So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.

29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

30For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

31'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.'

32This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Open in the Reader

Gospel.

Luke 6:46–7:1

1 min read

46'But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?

47Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:

48He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.

49But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.'

7:1Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.

Open in the Reader

In remembrance.

Hieromartyr Hierotheus, Bishop of AthensRead the life

He was probably the first Bishop of Athens, ordained by the Holy Apostle Paul himself. St Dionysius (see October 3) describes St Hierotheos as his teacher and friend “after Paul.” With St Dionysius, St Hierotheos was miraculously brought by the power of the Holy Spirit to be present with the Apostles at the Dormition of the Theotokos. He reposed in peace.

Unc. Rel. Gurias of Kazan and Varsanuphy of Tver

Our Holy Father Ammon of Egypt (4th c)Read the life

“Our holy Father Ammon’s parents died in his childhood. He was brought up by an uncle, who made him marry when he was still very young. On the night of his wedding, as soon as he and his wife retired to the bridal chamber, Ammon took up the holy Scriptures and read the passage in the Epistle to the Corinthians where the Apostle speaks of the disadvantages of marriage because of all the troubles and cares that come with it, while virgins consecrated to the Lord can devote themselves without distraction to prayer and to spiritual labour. Both spouses took the following words literally: From now on, let those who have wives be as though they had none… and those who deal with the world, as though they had no dealings with it (1 Cor. 7:29,31). They decided to remain in their virginity and to retire together to a desert place where they could give themselves over to prayer and fasting.

Read the full life

Further.

The Library

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

Study

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.