Tuesday April 7, 2026 / March 25, 2026
Passion Week: Great Tuesday.
Great Lent. Food with Oil
The Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.
New Hieromartyr Tikhon, patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1925).
Venerable Sabbas the New (1948).
“Annunciation” (16th c.) Icon of the Mother of God.
Martyrs Pelagia, Theodosia, and Dula of Nicomedia, who suffered under Valentinian.
Venerable Parthenius of the Kiev Caves (1855).
St. Senuphius the Wonderworker of Latomos (9th c.).
St. Nicander of Pskov (1581).
The Scripture Readings
Luke 1:39-49, 56 Matins Gospel
39
Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,
40
and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
41
And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42
Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43
But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44
For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45
Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.
46
And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49
For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.
56
And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
Hebrews 2:11-18 Theotokos
11
For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12
saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”
13
And again:”I will put My trust in Him.” And again:”Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”
14
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15
and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
16
For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.
17
Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
18
For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
Luke 1:24-38 Theotokos
24
Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,
25
Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.
26
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
27
to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28
And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
29
But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.
30
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.
32
He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
33
And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.
34
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
36
Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
37
For with God nothing will be impossible.
38
Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Matthew 24:36-26:2 (Gospel)
36
But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
37
But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
38
For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
39
and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
40
Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.
41
Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.
42
Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
43
But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
44
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?
46
Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
47
Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.
48
But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’
49
and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,
50
the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of,
51
and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
1
Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2
Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3
Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
4
but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5
But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6
And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
7
Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
8
And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9
But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
10
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11
Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’
12
But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
14
For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
15
And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
16
Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.
17
And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.
18
But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.
19
After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20
So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’
21
His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
22
He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’
23
His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
24
Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25
‘And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26
But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
27
‘So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
28
‘Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29
‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
30
‘And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
31
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32
All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
33
And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
34
Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35
‘for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36
‘I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38
‘When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39
‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40
And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41
Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
42
‘for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
43
‘I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44
Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
45
Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
46
And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
1
Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples,
2
You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.