Monday 5th January 2026
Fast day: strict fast
Liturgy of St Basil
Eve of the Theophany of our Lord
Today we commemorate:
Hieromartyr Theopemptus, bishop of Nicomedia, and Martyr Theonas (303). St. Syncletica of Alexandria (350). Righteous Prophet Micah (800 BC). Virgin Apollinaria of Egypt (470). SS Phosterius the Hermit and Menas of Sinai (6th C). St. Gregory of Crete, monk (820). New Monk-martyr Romanus of Carpenision, who suffered at Constantinople (1694)
British Isles and Ireland:
St. Ruman of Ireland (5th C). St. Cera, abbess (7th C ). St. Kiara (Chier) (c.680).
Hebrews 11:17-31; Mark 12:13-17
For the Commemoration: 1 Corinthians 9:19-27; Luke 3:1-18
Readings in bold type are those appointed by the Typikon for use at the Liturgy
Hebrews 11:17-31
Brothers and sisters, by faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He who received the promises was offering up his only child of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac shall issue be named for you,’ reasoning that God is able to raise up even from the dead. And symbolically it was from there that he was brought back. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning what was to come. By faith the dying Jacob blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and bowed in worship over the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, nearing the end, had in mind the exodus of the children of Israel and gave instructions about his bones. By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after he was born because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He preferred to share the suffering of God’s people than to have the short-lived pleasures of sin, reckoning Christ’s disgrace to be of more value than Egypt’s treasures because he was looking to the reward. By faith he abandoned Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he was steadfast, like someone who sees the Invisible One. By faith he observed the Passover and the sprinkling of blood so that the Destroyer of the first-born might not touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as if over dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after being surrounded for seven days. By faith Rahab, the prostitute who welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who refused to believe.
Mark 12:13-17
At that time the chief priests and scribes and elders sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him out in what he said. They came up to him and said, ‘Teacher, we know that you are truthful and defer to no one, for you do not go by appearances but truly teach the way of God. Tell us then, is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not? Do we give, or do we not give?’ But he was aware of their hypocrisy and said to them, ‘Why are you testing me? Fetch me a coin so that I may see it.’ They brought it, and he asked them, ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ They said, ‘Caesar’s.’ And Jesus told them, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’ And they marvelled at him.
1 Corinthians 9:19-27
Brothers and sisters, although free from everyone, I made myself a slave to everyone so that I might win more of them. And so to the Jews, I became as a Jew so that I might win the Jews; and to those under the law, as one under the law so that I might win those under the law; and to those outside the law, as one outside the law so that I might win those outside the law, not that I am lawless towards God since I am subject to Christ; and to the weak, I became as a weakling so that I might win the weak. I have become everything to everyone so that by every means I may save some. I am doing this for the sake of the Gospel so that I, with others, may share in it. Do you not know that of those running in a race, everyone runs but one takes the prize? Run like that, in order to win. Everyone who competes exercises self-discipline in every way. They do it to receive a crown that perishes, but we an imperishable one. This is how I run: not hesitatingly; this is how I box: not flailing the air. But I punish my body and bring it into submission so that after preaching to others I myself may not be disqualified.
Luke 3:1-18
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar when Pontius Pilate was Governor of Judaea, Herod was Tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was Tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias was Tetrarch of Abilene, and Annas and Caiaphas were the High Priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zachariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan and preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, for so it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the highway of the Lord. Make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled up, and every mountain and hill levelled down. What is crooked will be straightened, and the rocks will become smooth roads. All flesh will see the salvation of God.”’ To the crowds going out to be baptised by him he would say, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Produce fruit then that is worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have a father, Abraham,” because I tell you that from these stones God is able to raise up children for Abraham. Already the axe is in place against the base of the tree, for every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire.’ The crowds would ask him, ‘What then should we do?’ And in reply he would tell them, ‘Whoever has two coats is to give to someone who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.’ Even tax collectors came to be baptised, and they said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’ He told them, ‘Collect no more than is due to you.’ Soldiers too would question him, saying, ‘And we, what shall we do?’ And to them he said, ‘Do not bring false accusations against anyone, intimidate no one, and be content with your wages.’ The people were full of expectation, speculating in their hearts about John, whether perhaps he might be the Christ. John responded by telling everyone, ‘I am indeed baptising you with water, but someone more powerful than I am is coming. I am not worthy to undo his sandal straps. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing shovel is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor completely. He will gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ And with many other exhortations he would preach the Gospel to the people.