November 23, 2026

Events of the day

No commemorations in the content package for this day yet

• Afterfeast: Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple

Fasting

Fast day · Nativity Fast

Nativity Fast, Monday: cooked food without oil.

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

• Epistle

  1 Timothy 1:1–7

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  ¹Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ our hope;

  ²to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

  ³As I urged you when I was going into Macedonia, stay at Ephesus that you might command certain men not to teach a different doctrine,

  ⁴and not to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which cause disputes, rather than God’s stewardship, which is in faith—

  ⁵but the goal of this command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith,

  ⁶from which things some, having missed the mark, have turned away to vain talking,

  ⁷desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor about what they strongly affirm.

• Epistle · St Alexander

  Galatians 5:22–6:2

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  ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,

  ²³gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

  ²⁴Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.

  ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit.

  ²⁶Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.

  ¹Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted.

  ²Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

• Gospel

  Luke 17:20–25

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  ²⁰Being asked by the Pharisees when God’s Kingdom would come, he answered them, “God’s Kingdom doesn’t come with observation;

  ²¹neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, God’s Kingdom is within you.”

  ²²He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

  ²³They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Don’t go away or follow after them,

  ²⁴for as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part under the sky, shines to another part under the sky; so will the Son of Man be in his day.

  ²⁵But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

• Gospel · St Alexander

  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