2026

On Saturday | May 9

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The Readings from the Regular Cycle

The Epistle

Saturday of the 4th Week

The reading is from the Acts of the Apostles.

Acts 12:1 – 11

About that time, Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword; and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church. The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison; and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Wrap your mantle around you and follow me.” And he went out and followed him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the angel left him. And Peter came to himself, and said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” [RSV]

The Gospel

Saturday of the 4th Week

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to John.

Jn. 8:31 – 42

The Lord said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God; this is not what Abraham did. You do what your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God, and now I am here.” [RSV]

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The Readings for the Commemoration

2026

May 9

Memory of the Holy Martyr Christopher

The Readings from Vespers the Previous Evening

From Menaion - - -

Pr 10:8a, 7a; 3:13 – 16, 18; 8:32, 34, 4, 12, 14, 17, 5 – 9; 22:24, 22; 15:4b

The remembrance of the righteous is with eulogies; the blessing of the Lord is upon the head of a righteous man. Blessed is a man who finds wisdom, and a mortal who sees discernment; for the profits gained from wisdom are better than the treasures of gold and silver. Wisdom is more valuable than precious stones, and nothing evil will withstand her. She is well known to all who come near her, and no honor is worthy of her. Righteousness proceeds from her mouth, and she carries law and mercy upon her tongue. Now therefore, my son, hear me: Blessed is the man who shall hearken to me and the man who shall guard my ways; for my issues are the issues of life, and grace is prepared from the Lord. You, O men, I exhort, and I utter my voice to the sons of men. I, wisdom, dwell with counsel, and I call upon knowledge and understanding. Counsel and safety are mine; discernment is mine, and strength is mine. I love those who love me, and those who seek me shall find me. Understand astuteness, O simple ones, and put it in your heart, O uninstructed ones. Obey me, for I speak sacred things, and from my lips I will bring forth things that are true. For my mouth shall speak the truth, but false lips are an abomination before me. All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; there is nothing in them crooked or twisted. All things are evident to those who understand and true to those who find knowledge. Therefore, I teach you a true word and good knowledge to be obeyed, that you might answer words of truth to those who question you, that your hope might be in the Lord, and the one who guards it will be filled with the Spirit. [SAAS]

Pr 10:31 – 32; 11:1 – 10

The mouth of a righteous man distills wisdom, but the tongue of an unrighteous man utterly destroys. The lips of righteous men distill grace, but the mouth of the ungodly is perverse. Deceitful scales are an abomination before the Lord, but a righteous weight is acceptable to Him. Wherever arrogance enters, there also is dishonor, but the mouth of the humble meditates on wisdom. When a righteous man dies, he leaves regret, but the destruction of the ungodly is immediate and brings joy. Righteousness cuts straight and blameless paths, but ungodliness embraces wrongdoing. The righteousness of upright men delivers them, but lawless men are taken to their destruction. When a righteous man dies, his hope does not perish, but the boast of the ungodly perishes. A righteous man escapes from a snare, but the ungodly man is handed over in his place. There is a snare for citizens in the mouth of the ungodly, but the perception of the righteous is prosperous. A city stays upright in the good things of the righteous, but it is razed to the ground by the mouths of the ungodly. A man in need of discernment treats citizens with contempt, but a man of discernment keeps quiet. [SAAS]

WSol 4:7 – 15

Though a righteous man may die before his time, he shall be at rest. For old age is not honored for its length of existence, nor measured by its number of years; but discernment is gray hair for mankind, and a spotless life is the maturity of old age. There was once a man pleasing to God and loved by Him, and while living among sinners he was taken up. He was caught up lest evil change his understanding or deceit deceive his soul. For envy arising from lack of judgment obscures what is good, and a whirling of desire undermines an innocent heart. He was made perfect, for in a short time he fulfilled long years, for his soul was pleasing to the Lord; therefore, He took him early from the midst of evil. Yet peoples saw this but did not understand, nor take such a thing to heart, that the Lord’s grace and mercy are with His elect and that He watches over His holy ones. [SAAS]

The Epistle

For the Prophet.

The reading is from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians.

2 Cor. 11:5 – 21

Brethren, I think that I am not in the least inferior to these superlative apostles. Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not in knowledge; in every way we have made this plain to you in all things. Did I commit a sin in abasing myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel without cost to you? I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. And when I was with you and was in want, I did not burden any one, for my needs were supplied by the brethren who came from Macedonia. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast of mine shall not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! And what I do I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is not strange if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. I repeat, let no one think me foolish; but even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. (What I am saying I say not with the Lord’s authority but as a fool, in this boastful confidence; since many boast of worldly things, I too will boast.) For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! For you bear it if a man makes slaves of you, or preys upon you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! [RSV]

The Gospel

For the Prophet.

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Luke.

Lk. 4:22 – 30

At that time, the crowds wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of Jesus’ mouth; and they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here also in your own country.’” And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. But passing through the midst of them he went away. [RSV]

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Stand for the reading of the Synaxarion.

Synaxarion

From the Menaion.

On May 9 we also commemorate the holy and glorious Prophet Isaiah.

On this day we also commemorate the holy Martyr Christopher.

On this day we also commemorate the holy Martyrs Epimachus and Gordian.

On this day the holy Martyrs Callinica and Aquilina, who believed in Christ through Saint Christopher, died: the first was pierced with a long spit from foot to shoulder, the second was hanged by her hair with a heavy stone tied to her feet.

The holy monastic martyr Nicholas the New of Vounene, died by the sword.

By their holy intercessions, O God, have mercy on us. Amen.

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Fasting Rule

Fast Free: All foods allowed.