April 23, 2031

Events of the day

• Holy Great-martyr George the Trophy-bearer

  Polyeleos rank

• Afterfeast: Pascha. The Bright Resurrection of Christ

Fasting

Fast day · Wednesday / Friday

Wednesday and Friday: fast without meat, dairy or eggs. Whether fish is allowed depends on the day's feast — check the church calendar.

• Meat: not allowed
• Dairy & eggs: not allowed
• Fish: not specified
• 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 · St George

  Isaiah 43:9–14

• Vespers · St George

  Wisdom of Solomon 3:1–9

• Vespers · St George

  Wisdom of Solomon 4:7–15

• Matins Gospel · St George

  Luke 12:2–12

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  ²But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.

  ³Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light. What you have spoken in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

  ⁴“I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

  ⁵But I will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him who after he has killed, has power to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

  ⁶“Aren’t five sparrows sold for two assaria coins? Not one of them is forgotten by God.

  ⁷But the very hairs of your head are all counted. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.

  ⁸“I tell you, everyone who confesses me before men, the Son of Man will also confess before the angels of God;

  ⁹but he who denies me in the presence of men will be denied in the presence of God’s angels.

  ¹⁰Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

  ¹¹When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don’t be anxious how or what you will answer, or what you will say;

  ¹²for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say.”

• Epistle

  Acts 4:13–22

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  ¹³Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus.

  ¹⁴Seeing the man who was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

  ¹⁵But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,

  ¹⁶saying, “What shall we do to these men? Because indeed a notable miracle has been done through them, as can be plainly seen by all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we can’t deny it.

  ¹⁷But so that this spreads no further among the people, let’s threaten them, that from now on they don’t speak to anyone in this name.”

  ¹⁸They called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

  ¹⁹But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves,

  ²⁰for we can’t help telling the things which we saw and heard.”

  ²¹When they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people; for everyone glorified God for that which was done.

  ²²For the man on whom this miracle of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

• Epistle · St George

  Acts 12:1–11

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  ¹Now about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.

  ²He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.

  ³When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This was during the days of unleavened bread.

  ⁴When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

  ⁵Peter therefore was kept in the prison, but constant prayer was made by the assembly to God for him.

  ⁶The same night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Guards in front of the door kept the prison.

  ⁷And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side, and woke him up, saying, “Stand up quickly!” His chains fell off his hands.

  ⁸The angel said to him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” He did so. He said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.”

  ⁹And he went out and followed him. He didn’t know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision.

  ¹⁰When they were past the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went out, and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

  ¹¹When Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I truly know that the Lord has sent out his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.”

• Gospel

  John 5:17–24

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  ¹⁷But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, so I am working, too.”

  ¹⁸For this cause therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

  ¹⁹Jesus therefore answered them, “Most certainly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise.

  ²⁰For the Father has affection for the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does. He will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

  ²¹For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he desires.

  ²²For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son,

  ²³that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him.

  ²⁴“Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

• Gospel · St George

  John 15:17–16:2

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  ¹⁷“I command these things to you, that you may love one another.

  ¹⁸If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.

  ¹⁹If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

  ²⁰Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

  ²¹But they will do all these things to you for my name’s sake, because they don’t know him who sent me.

  ²²If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

  ²³He who hates me, hates my Father also.

  ²⁴If I hadn’t done among them the works which no one else did, they wouldn’t have had sin. But now they have seen and also hated both me and my Father.

  ²⁵But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’

  ²⁶“When the Counselor has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.

  ²⁷You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

  ¹“I have said these things to you so that you wouldn’t be caused to stumble.

  ²They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God.

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

Saints and icons

• Holy Great-martyr George the Trophy-bearer
• Prayer of the day: The Trisagion