Friday January 23, 2026 / January 10, 2026
33rd Week after Pentecost. Tone seven.
Fast. Oil & Wine Allowed
St. Gregory of Nyssa (395).
Venerable Dometian, bishop of Melitene (601).
St. Theophan the Recluse, bishop of Tambov (1894).
Venerable Marcian, presbyter of Constantinople (471).
Venerable Paul, abbot of Obnora (Vologda) (1429), and his disciple St. Macarius, abbot of Pisma Monastery.
Venerable Antipas of Valaam (1882).
New Hieromartyr Zenobius priest (1920).
New Hieromartyr Peter priest (1930).
New Hieromartyr Anatolius metropolite of Odessa (1938).
Woman Hieromartyr Arsenia abbess (1939).
Venerable Macarius of Pisemsk and Kostroma (14c).
Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess (385), sister of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nyssa.
Venerable Ammon of Nitria, monk (5th c.).
Venerable Antipas of Galapodeshti, Romania and Valaam Monastery (1882) (Romania).
Martyred Elder Ephraim and six incorrupt monks of Obnora (1538).
The Scripture Readings
John 10:1-9 Matins Gospel
1
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2
But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3
To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4
And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5
Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.
6
Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
7
Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8
All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
9
I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
1
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2
elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
10
Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
11
searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
12
To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-things which angels desire to look into.
6
Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
7
Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”
8
and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
9
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10
who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
1
Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.
2
Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.
3
And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
4
Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.
5
And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.
6
Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7
But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
8
So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.
9
Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.
10
Have you not even read this Scripture:’The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.
11
This was the LORD’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12
And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.
Hebrews 7:26-8:2 St. Theophan
26
For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;
27
who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
28
For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.
1
Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
2
a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.
John 10:9-16 St. Theophan
9
I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
10
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
11
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
12
But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
13
The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
14
I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
15
As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.