2026

On Monday | October 26

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The Readings from the Regular Cycle

The Epistle

Monday of the 22nd Week

The reading is from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians.

Col. 2:13 – 20

Brethren, when you who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, Christ made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it. Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food or drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath. These are only a shadow of what is to come; but the body belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on things he has not seen, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental principles of the world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations? [RSV]

The Gospel

Monday of the 6th Week of Luke

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Luke.

Lk. 10:22 – 24

The Lord said, “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.” Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” [RSV]

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The Readings for the Commemoration

2026

October 26

Memory of the Holy Great-martyr Demetrios, the Myrrh-streamer

The Readings from Vespers the Previous Evening

From Menaion - - -

Is 63:15 – 20; 64:1 – 4a, 7 – 8

Return from heaven, and look from Your holy and glorious dwelling-place. Where are Your zeal and Your strength; where is the multitude of Your mercy and Your compassion, so as to be patient with us? You are our Father, although Abraham did not know us, and Israel did not acknowledge us; but You, O Lord, are our Father. You delivered us, and from the beginning Your name was upon us. Why have you led us astray, O Lord, from Your path, and hardened our hearts so as not to fear You? Return for the sake of Your servants, for the sake of the tribes of Your inheritance, that we may inherit a small portion of Your holy mountain. For our adversaries trampled down Your sanctuary, and we have become as we were from the beginning, when You did not rule us, neither did we call upon Your name. If You open heaven, trembling shall take hold of the mountains before You, and they shall melt as wax melts before the fire. The fire shall burn up the adversaries, and the Lord’s name shall be manifest among the adversaries; and the nations shall be troubled by Your presence. When You do glorious things, trembling shall take hold of the mountains because of You. From of old we have not heard, nor have our eyes seen any God but You, and Your works which You shall do for those who wait for Your mercy. For mercy shall meet with those who do righteousness, and they shall remember Your ways. And now, O Lord, You are our Father, and all we are clay, the work of Your hands. Do not be exceedingly angry with us, and do not remember our sins in an opportune time. And now look upon us, for we are all Your people. [SAAS]

Jer 2:1 – 12

Thus says the Lord: ‘I remember your compassion and youth and your love and maturity, so as to follow the Holy One of Israel,’ says the Lord. ‘Israel, the beginning of His harvest, was holy to the Lord. All who devour him shall transgress, and evils will come upon them,’” says the Lord. Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all families of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: “What transgression have your fathers found in Me, so as to go far from Me, to follow after vain and worthless things? They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord, who led us out of the land of Egypt, who guided us in the wilderness, in an unknown and untrodden land, a land that was waterless and barren, in which no one traversed and where no son of man dwelt?’ I brought you into Carmel to eat its fruit and its good things, but you entered and defiled My land, and made My heritage an abomination. The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ But those who handle the law did not trust Me, and the shepherds acted profanely toward Me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and walked after unprofitable things. Therefore I will yet bring charges against you,” says the Lord, “and I will bring charges against the sons of your sons. For pass by the islands of Chettim and see. Send to Kedar and consider diligently. See if such things happened, whether nations will change their gods; though they are not gods. But My people changed their glory to a glory from which they will not profit. Heaven was amazed at this and was exceedingly horror-struck,” says the Lord. [SAAS]

WSol 3:1 – 9

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torture will ever touch them. In the eyes of the undiscerning they seemed to have died, and their departure was considered to be misfortune, and their passage from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. For though in man’s view they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. Though chastened in a few things, great kindness will be shown them, for God tested them and found them worthy of Himself. He tested them like gold in a furnace and accepted them as a whole burnt offering. In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and they will run about like sparks through straw. They will judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall reign over them unto the ages. Those who trust in Him will understand truth, and the faithful shall continue with Him in love, because grace and mercy are upon His elect [and He watches over His holy ones]. [SAAS]

The Epistle

For the Martyr.

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

2 Tim. 2:1 – 10

Timothy, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will grant you understanding in everything. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my gospel, the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing fetters like a criminal. But the word of God is not fettered. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus with its eternal glory. [RSV]

The Gospel

For the Martyr.

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to John.

Jn. 15:17 – 16:2

The Lord said to his disciples, “This I command you, to love one another. If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all this they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. It is to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’ But when the Comforter comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning. I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.” [RSV]

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Stand for the reading of the Synaxarion.

Synaxarion

From the Menaion.

On October 26, we commemorate the holy and glorious Great-martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-streamer and Wonder-worker.

On this day the holy Martyrs Artemidoros and Basil died by the sword.

On this day the holy Martyr Leptina died being dragged on the ground.

On this day, the holy Martyr Glycon died by the sword.

On this day we remember the great and awful earthquake.

We commemorate the holy New Monastic Martyr Ioasaf, who died by the sword in Constantinople in the year 1536.

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

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Fasting Rule

Fast Free: All foods allowed.