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2024 |
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On Sunday | December 15 |
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The Readings for the Commemoration |
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The Epistle |
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Sunday For the Forefathers. |
The reading is from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. |
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Col. 3:4 – 11 |
Brethren, when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. In these you once walked, when you lived in them. But now put them all away; anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all. [RSV] |
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The Gospel |
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Sunday For the Forefathers. |
The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Luke. |
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Lk. 14:16 – 24 |
The Lord said this parable: “A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; and at the time of the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for all is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and there is still room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet. For many are called, but few are chosen.’” [RSV] |
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The Epistle |
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For the Saint. |
The reading is from Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. |
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2 Tim. 1:8 – 18 |
Timothy, my son, do not be ashamed of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel in the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago, and now has manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, and therefore I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, and among them Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me; he was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me eagerly and found me — may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day — and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus. [RSV] |
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The Gospel |
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For the Saint. |
The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Mark. |
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Mk. 2:23 – 28; 3:1 – 5 |
At that time, Jesus was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” And he said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath.” Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. And they watched him, to see whether he would heal him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch it out,” and his hand was restored. [RSV] |
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Stand for the reading of the Synaxarion. |
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Synaxarion |
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From the Menaion. |
On December 15 was the contest of the holy Hieromartyr Eleftherios. |
On this day Saint Anthia, mother of Saint Eleftherios, died by the sword as she was holding her son’s dead body. |
On this day Saint Coremmon the Eparch died by the sword after he believed in Christ and was baptized. |
On this day the two Executioners who believed in Christ died by the sword. |
On this day was the contest of the devout martyr St. Susanna. |
On this day we also commemorate the holy Martyr Eleftherios the Chamberlain. |
On this day we also commemorate the holy Martyr Bacchus the New. |
On this day we also commemorate our devout father Paul the New, who was an ascetic on Mt. Latrus in the days of Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos. |
Today is also the Sunday of the holy Forefathers. |
By the intercessions of Your saints, O God, have mercy on us. Amen. |
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Fasting Rule |
Wine: Wine and oil are allowed. Refrain from meat, fish, dairy, and eggs. |
It is the Christmas fast. |