--- title: "December 20, 2026 — St Ambrose, Bishop of Milan" description: "Sunday, December 20, 2026. 7 December (Old Style). St Ambrose, Bishop of Milan; St Nilus of Stolobnoye. Fast day" url: "https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/calendar/2026-12-20" language: "en" --- Sunday # December 20, 2026 7 December (Old Style) · 29th Sunday after Pentecost Russian Orthodox Church (Old Calendar) [Old Style](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/calendar/2026-12-20) [New Style](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/calendar/new-style/2026-12-20) [Month calendar](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/calendar/2026-12) [← December 19](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/calendar/2026-12-19) [December 21 →](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/calendar/2026-12-21) ## Events of the day - St Ambrose, Bishop of Milan; St Nilus of Stolobnoye Commemoration ## Fasting Fast day · Nativity Fast Nativity Fast, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: fish is allowed. - Meat: not allowed - Dairy & eggs: not allowed - Fish: allowed - Oil: allowed - Wine: allowed By the Typikon (ch. 33) Tuesday and Thursday of the Apostles' and Nativity Fasts call for oil and wine only, fish only for a saint with a polyeleos; lay practice per the ROC calendar allows fish. 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 - 7th Matins Gospel John 20:1–10 **Show the text** 1 Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw the stone taken away from the tomb. 2 Therefore she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have laid him!” 3 Therefore Peter and the other disciple went out, and they went toward the tomb. 4 They both ran together. The other disciple outran Peter, and came to the tomb first. 5 Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying, yet he didn’t enter in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and entered into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying, 7 and the cloth that had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So then the other disciple who came first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they didn’t know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes. - Epistle Colossians 3:12–16 **Show the text** 12 Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do. 14 Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord. - Gospel Luke 17:12–19 **Show the text** 12 As he entered into a certain village, ten men who were lepers met him, who stood at a distance. 13 They lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. 16 He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus answered, “Weren’t the ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up, and go your way. Your faith has healed you.” Source: Orthocal: lectionary data — Slavic tradition, Julian calendar. Text: World English Bible. ## Saints and icons - Prayer of the day: [The Symbol of Faith (Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed)](https://spas.life/en/orthodoxy/prayers/creed)