Thursday May 21, 2026 / May 8, 2026
The Ascension of our Lord. Tone five.
Holy Georgian Martyrs of Persia (17th-18th c.) (movable holiday on the day of the Holy Ascension) (Georgia).
Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian (98-117).
Venerable Arsenius the Great of Scetis (448).
Venerables Arsenius the Lover of Labor (14th c.) and Pimen the Ascetic (12th c.), of the Kiev Caves.
Martyrs Nicephorus (1942).
Translation of the relics (1785) of Venerable Arsenius of Novgorod, fool-for-Christ (1570).
Venerable Hierax of Egypt (5th c.).
The Monks Zosima and Adrian of Volokolamsk (15-16th c.).
St. Emilia (375), mother of Sts. Macrina, Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa.
Venerable Cassian, recluse and faster of the Kiev Caves (13-14th c.).
St. Macarius of Ghent, archbishop (1012) (Neth.).
St. Iduberga, foundress of Nijvel (652) (Neth.).
Commemoration of the healing of blinded Stephen by the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Cassiopia.
Hiermartyrs Indract and Comp, at Shapwick.
St. Wiro, bishop of Utrecht.
St. Odger, hierodeacon, of Odilienberg.
St. Milles the Melode, monk(Greek)
The Scripture Readings
1
The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2
until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,
3
to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
4
And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;
5
for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
6
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7
And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
8
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
9
Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
10
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
11
who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
12
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.
Acts 1:1-12
1
The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2
until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,
3
to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
4
And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;
5
for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
6
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7
And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
8
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
9
Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
10
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
11
who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
12
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.
Luke 24:36-53
36
Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.”
37
But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.
38
And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?
39
Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.
40
When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
41
But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?”
42
So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
43
And He took it and ate in their presence.
44
Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”
45
And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46
Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
47
and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48
And you are witnesses of these things.
49
Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.
50
And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.
51
Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.
52
And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53
and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
1 John 1:1-7 Apostle
1
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-
2
the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us-
3
that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4
And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
5
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
6
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
John 19:25-27; 21:24-25 Apostle
25
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
26
When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”
27
Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
24
This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.
25
And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.