September 1, 2025

Events of the day

• Beginning of the Indiction — the Church New Year

  Commemoration

  The church year begins on 1 September (Old Style).

Fasting

No fast

No fast today.

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

  Isaiah 61:1–9

• Vespers

  Composite reading — Leviticus 26

• Vespers

  Wisdom of Solomon 4:7–15

• Epistle

  2 Corinthians 8:7–15

  Show the text

  ⁷But as you abound in everything, in faith, utterance, knowledge, all earnestness, and in your love to us, see that you also abound in this grace.

  ⁸I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love.

  ⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich.

  ¹⁰I give a judgment in this: for this is expedient for you who were the first to start a year ago, not only to do, but also to be willing.

  ¹¹But now complete the doing also, that as there was the readiness to be willing, so there may be the completion also out of your ability.

  ¹²For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you don’t have.

  ¹³For this is not that others may be eased and you distressed,

  ¹⁴but for equality. Your abundance at this present time supplies their lack, that their abundance also may become a supply for your lack; that there may be equality.

  ¹⁵As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

• Epistle · New Year

  1 Timothy 2:1–7

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  ¹I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks be made for all men:

  ²for kings and all who are in high places, that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence.

  ³For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

  ⁴who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth.

  ⁵For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

  ⁶who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony in its own times,

  ⁷to which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am telling the truth in Christ, not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

• Epistle · St Simeon

  Colossians 3:12–16

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  ¹²Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance;

  ¹³bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.

  ¹⁴Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.

  ¹⁵And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful.

  ¹⁶Let 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

  Mark 3:6–12

  Show the text

  ⁶The Pharisees went out, and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

  ⁷Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples, and a great multitude followed him from Galilee, from Judea,

  ⁸from Jerusalem, from Idumaea, beyond the Jordan, and those from around Tyre and Sidon. A great multitude, hearing what great things he did, came to him.

  ⁹He spoke to his disciples that a little boat should stay near him because of the crowd, so that they wouldn’t press on him.

  ¹⁰For he had healed many, so that as many as had diseases pressed on him that they might touch him.

  ¹¹The unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, “You are the Son of God!”

  ¹²He sternly warned them that they should not make him known.

• Gospel · New Year

  Luke 4:16–22

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  ¹⁶He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.

  ¹⁷The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written,

  ¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed,

  ¹⁹and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

  ²⁰He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him.

  ²¹He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

  ²²All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

• Gospel · St Simeon

  Matthew 11:27–30

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  ²⁷All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows the Son, except the Father; neither does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and he to whom the Son desires to reveal him.

  ²⁸“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.

  ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls.

  ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Source: Orthocal: lectionary data — Slavic tradition, New Calendar (OCA practice). Text: World English Bible.

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Morning prayer of St Macarius the Great