Saturday December 20, 2025 / December 7, 2025
28th Week after Pentecost. Tone two.
Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed
St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan (397).
Venerable Nilus, monk, of Stolben Island (1554).
Venerable Anthony, abbot of Siya Monastery (Novgorod) (1556).
New Hieromartyrs Sergius, Andronic (1917).
New Hieromartyr Antonius priest (1918).
St. Ambrosius confessor, bishop of Kamenets-Podolsk (1932).
New Hieromartyrs Sergius, Michael and Sergius priests, Nicephore deacon and Hieromartyr Galaction and Gurias, Martyr John (1937).
New Hieromartyrs Peter and Basil priests (1941).
Venerable John, faster of the Kiev Caves (12th c.)..
Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia (304).
Venerable Paul the Obedient.
St. Philothea of Turnovo (1060), whose relics are in Arges, Romania.
Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir of Seligersk.
Venerable Gregory the Silent of Serbia, founder of Grigoriou Monastery, Mt. Athos (1405) (Greek).
Venerable Ignatius, monk, near Blachernae (Greek).
St. Bassa of Jerusalem, abbess (5th c.).
St. Diuma, bishop of the Mercians and Middle Anglians.
Martyr Neophytus (Greek).
Martyr Dometius (Greek).
Martyrs Isidore, Acepsimas and Leo (Greek).
The Scripture Readings
16
do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
17
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
18
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19
and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
20
which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21
far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
22
And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
23
which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
18
Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?
19
It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.
20
And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?
21
It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.
22
And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.
23
Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them,
24
Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
25
When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’
26
then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’
27
But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’
28
There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.
29
They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.
Friday Reading
Titus 1:15-2:1-10
15
To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
16
They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
1
But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine:
2
that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience;
3
the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-
4
that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
5
to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
6
Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded,
7
in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,
8
sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
9
Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back,
10
not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
37
And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.
38
Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.
1
Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.
2
And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.
3
Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.
4
So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.
5
And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.
6
So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.
7
Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.
8
And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.”