Friday October 24, 2025 / October 11, 2025
20th Week after Pentecost. Tone two.
Fast. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)
Holy Apostle Philip of the Seventy, one of the seven deacons (1st c.).
Venerable Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, bishop of Nicaea (850).
Venerable Leonid of Optina (1841).
Synaxis of the Saints of Optina: St. Leonid (repose) (1841), St. Macarius (1860), St. Moses (1862), St. Anthony (1865), St. Hilarion (1873), St. Ambrose (1891), St. Anatole (the “Elder”) (1894), St. Isaac I (1894), St. Joseph (1911), St. Barsanuphius (1913), St. Anatole (the “Younger”) (1922), St. Nektary (1928), St. Nikon the Confessor (1931), New Hieromartyr Archimandrite Isaac II (1937).
New Hieromartyrs Philaret and Alexander priests (1918).
New Hieromartyr Juvenalius (Maslovsky) bishop of Riazan (1937).
Venerable Theophanes, faster of the Kiev Caves (12th c.).
Martyrs Zenaida (Zenais) and Philonilla of Tarsus in Cilicia (1st c.).
Sts. Nectarius (397), Arcadius (405), and Sinisius (427), patriarchs of Constantinople.
St. Gommar, patron of Lier (775) (Neth.).
Venerable Ethelburga, abbess of the monastery of Barking (England) (676) (Celtic & British.).
Venerable Cainnech (Kenneth), abbot of Aghaboe (Ireland) (600) (Celtic & British).
St. Philotheus (Kokkinos) of Mt. Athos, patriarch of Constantinople (1379).
Commemoration of the miracle from the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Beirut of Phonecia.
The Scripture Readings
8
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9
and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11
if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15
Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
16
Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
17
Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
18
For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19
whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame-who set their mind on earthly things.
12
When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”
13
But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.”
14
For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.”
15
And they did so, and made them all sit down.
16
Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.
17
So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.
18
And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him,
Acts 8:26-39 Apostle
26
Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert.
27
So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,
28
was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.
29
Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
30
So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31
And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
32
The place in the Scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
33
In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.”
34
So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”
35
Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
36
Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
37
Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38
So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
39
Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
Luke 10:1-21 Apostle
1
After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.
2
Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
3
Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.
4
Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.
5
But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’
6
And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.
7
And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house.
8
Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.
9
And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
10
But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say,
11
‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’
12
But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.
13
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
14
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.
15
And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.
16
He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.
17
Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”