2026

On Wednesday | July 8

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The Readings from the Regular Cycle

The Epistle

Wednesday of the 6th Week

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

1 Cor. 2:9 – 16; 3:1 – 8

Brethren, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him,” God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what person knows a man’s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Holy Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. But I, brethren, could not address you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as babes in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not ready for it; and even yet you are not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men? For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely men? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are equal, and each shall receive his wages according to his labor. [RSV]

The Gospel

Wednesday of the 6th Week of Matthew

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.

Mt. 13:31 – 36

The Lord said this parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” Then he left the crowds and went into the house. [RSV]

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The Readings for the Commemoration

The Epistle

For the Martyr.

The reading is from Paul’s First Letter to Timothy.

1 Tim. 4:9 – 15

Timothy, my son, the saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and suffer reproach, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Till I come, attend to reading, to preaching, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the council of elders laid their hands upon you. Practice these duties, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. [RSV]

The Gospel

For the Martyr.

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Luke.

Lk. 6:17 – 19, 9:1 – 2, 10:16 – 22

At that time, there came to Jesus a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came forth from him and healed them all. And he called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And he said to them, “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you: but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” In that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing before you. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” [RSV]

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Stand for the reading of the Synaxarion.

Synaxarion

From the Menaion.

On July 8 we commemorate the holy Great-martyr Procopius.

Saint Theodosia, the mother of Saint Procopius, died by the sword.

The Twelve Women of senatorial rank died by the sword.

The holy Martyrs Antiochus, Nicostratus, Abdas and Sabbas died by the sword.

The devout Theophilus, who lived in asceticism on the Holy Mountain of Athos, reposed in peace.

The holy New Hieromartyr Anastasius, who was from Hagios Vlasios, Hegoumenitsa, witnessed in Constantinople and died by the sword in the year 1743.

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

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Fasting Rule

Strict: Refrain from meat, fish, oil, dairy, and eggs.

It is a Wednesday or Friday.