Friday 6th March 2026
Lenten Fast: strict fast
Today we commemorate:
The 42 Martyrs of Amorion in Phrygia (c.845). The discovery of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by Empress St. Helena in Jerusalem (326). Monk-martyrs Conon and his son Conon of Iconium (275).
British Isles and Ireland:
St. Sithney, missionary abbot (529). SS Cyneburgh and Cyneswith, abbesses of Castor and St. Tibba (c.680). St. Billfrith, the Goldsmith, hermit (8th C). St. Baldred, hermit at Tyningham (756). St. Fridolin of Ireland, Enlightener of the Upper Rhine (538). St. Cadroel, monk and bishop (976). St. Sezin of Guic-Sezni (c.529).
Isaiah 7:1-14; Genesis 5:32-6:8; Proverbs 6:20-7:1
Isaiah 7:1-14
It was in the time of Ahaz son of Jotham son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, rose up and waged war against Jerusalem, but they were not able to besiege it. A message was brought to David’s house which said, ‘Aram has made an alliance with Ephraim.’ His soul, and the soul of his people, was shaken as a tree in a wood is shaken by the wind. Then the Lord said to Isaiah, ‘Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the pool by the upper path to the fuller’s field. You are to say to him, “Keep calm. Do not be afraid, and do not let your soul quail on account of these two smoking firebrands. For when the anger of my wrath has passed, I shall heal once more. And as for the son of Aram and the son of Remaliah, because they have plotted evil against you saying, ‘Let us go up against Judah, and when we have conferred with them we shall turn them to our side and make the son of Tabeal its king,’ the Lord of hosts says that this plot will not succeed; it will not happen. The head of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin, but in another sixty-five years the kingdom of Ephraim will no longer be a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. And if you do not believe, nor will you understand.”’ The Lord spoke to Ahaz again, saying, ‘Ask for a sign from the Lord your God, in the depths or in the heights.’ And Ahaz replied, ‘I will not ask; I will not test the Lord.’ Then he said, ‘Now listen, House of David. Is it such a small matter for you to pit yourself against human beings that you would pit yourself against the Lord? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.
Genesis 5:32-6:8
Noah was five hundred years of age when he fathered three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. It was when people began to be numerous on the earth and daughters were born to them that the sons of God saw that the daughters of human beings were beautiful, and they took all those whom they chose as wives for themselves. The Lord God said, ‘My Spirit will not remain in these people for ever, for they are flesh, and so their days will be one hundred and twenty years.’ Now there were giants on the earth in those days, for when the sons of God went in with the daughters of human beings they bore children. Those were the giants of old, the people of legend. The Lord God saw that the wickedness of the people on earth had increased, and that in their hearts the thoughts of everyone dwelt upon evil all day long. And God grieved that he had made humanity on the earth and he pondered. God said, ‘I shall wipe the human being whom I have made from the face of the earth, the people and the livestock, the animals that live on the ground and the birds of the air, for I regret that I made them.’ But Noah found favour in the presence of the Lord God.
Proverbs 6:20-7:1
My son, keep the laws of your father, and do not reject the rules laid down by your mother. Bind them to your soul at all times, and make them a collar upon your neck. Whenever you walk, take it, keep it with you; and when you sleep let it guard you, that it may speak to you when you wake. For a commandment of the law is a lamp and a light, a way of life, and a caution and discipline to keep you from a married woman and from the slander of a stranger’s tongue. Do not let lust for beauty get the better of you, nor get caught by your eyes or captivated by her eyelashes, for the price of a harlot is but one loaf, and a woman hunts for the precious souls of men. Can anyone put fire in his lap and not burn his clothes? Or can anyone walk on coals of fire and not burn his feet? So it is with someone who goes in to a married woman. He will not go unpunished, nor will anyone who touches her. It is no surprise if someone is caught stealing, for he steals to satisfy the soul when he is hungry. But if he is caught, he will repay sevenfold, giving up all that he has to rescue himself. The adulterer, though, with lack of intelligence brings destruction upon his soul. He endures anguish and dishonour, and his disgrace will never be wiped away because her husband’s wrath is full of jealousy, and he will show no mercy on the day of judgement. He will not let go of his hatred at any price, nor will he ever be reconciled by many gifts. My son, keep my words and store up my commandments within you. Honour the Lord and you will be strong; and fear no other but him.
The text and chapter and verse references of the Old Testament readings are those of the Septuagint