September 27, 2020

Events of the day

• Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross

  Twelve Great Feast

  Commemorates the finding of the Lord's Cross by the holy Empress Helena in Jerusalem (4th century). A strict fast day.

Fasting

Fast day · Exaltation of the Cross

Exaltation of the Cross: strict fast, food with oil.

• Meat: not allowed
• Dairy & eggs: not allowed
• Fish: not allowed
• Oil: allowed
• Wine: allowed

Food rules are reference church information. Agree your personal measure of fasting with a priest; consult a doctor if you are ill.

Readings of the day

• Vespers

  Exodus 15:22–16:1

• Vespers

  Proverbs 3:11–18

• Vespers

  Isaiah 60:11–16

• Matins Gospel

  John 12:28–36

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  ²⁸Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

  ²⁹Therefore the multitude who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

  ³⁰Jesus answered, “This voice hasn’t come for my sake, but for your sakes.

  ³¹Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out.

  ³²And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

  ³³But he said this, signifying by what kind of death he should die.

  ³⁴The multitude answered him, “We have heard out of the law that the Christ remains forever. How do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up?’ Who is this Son of Man?”

  ³⁵Jesus therefore said to them, “Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness doesn’t overtake you. He who walks in the darkness doesn’t know where he is going.

  ³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become children of light.” Jesus said these things, and he departed and hid himself from them.

• Epistle · Elevation

  1 Corinthians 1:18–24

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  ¹⁸For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

  ¹⁹For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.”

  ²⁰Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

  ²¹For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.

  ²²For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,

  ²³but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,

  ²⁴but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God;

• Epistle

  2 Corinthians 6:1–10

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  ¹Working together, we entreat also that you do not receive the grace of God in vain,

  ²for he says, “At an acceptable time I listened to you. In a day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.

  ³We give no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our service may not be blamed,

  ⁴but in everything commending ourselves, as servants of God, in great endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,

  ⁵in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in labors, in watchings, in fastings;

  ⁶in pureness, in knowledge, in perseverance, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love,

  ⁷in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

  ⁸by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;

  ⁹as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and not killed;

  ¹⁰as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

• Gospel · Elevation

  John 19:6–11, 13–20, 25–28, 30–35

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  ⁶When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves, and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him.”

  ⁷The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”

  ⁸When therefore Pilate heard this saying, he was more afraid.

  ⁹He entered into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

  ¹⁰Pilate therefore said to him, “Aren’t you speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have power to release you and have power to crucify you?”

  ¹¹Jesus answered, “You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin.”

  ¹³When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called “The Pavement”, but in Hebrew, “Gabbatha.”

  ¹⁴Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, at about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”

  ¹⁵They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

  ¹⁶So then he delivered him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away.

  ¹⁷He went out, bearing his cross, to the place called “The Place of a Skull”, which is called in Hebrew, “Golgotha”,

  ¹⁸where they crucified him, and with him two others, on either side one, and Jesus in the middle.

  ¹⁹Pilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross. There was written, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

  ²⁰Therefore many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.

  ²⁵But standing by Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

  ²⁶Therefore when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”

  ²⁷Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour, the disciple took her to his own home.

  ²⁸After this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.”

  ³⁰When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished.” He bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.

  ³¹Therefore the Jews, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies wouldn’t remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special one), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

  ³²Therefore the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with him;

  ³³but when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was already dead, they didn’t break his legs.

  ³⁴However one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

  ³⁵He who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, that you may believe.

• Gospel

  Matthew 25:14–30

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  ¹⁴“For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them.

  ¹⁵To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey.

  ¹⁶Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

  ¹⁷In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two.

  ¹⁸But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.

  ¹⁹“Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reconciled accounts with them.

  ²⁰He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents in addition to them.’

  ²¹“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

  ²²“He also who got the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents in addition to them.’

  ²³“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

  ²⁴“He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn’t sow, and gathering where you didn’t scatter.

  ²⁵I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’

  ²⁶“But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter.

  ²⁷You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest.

  ²⁸Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents.

  ²⁹For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away.

  ³⁰Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Source: Orthocal: lectionary data — Slavic tradition, Julian calendar. Text: World English Bible.