Monday 8th December 2025
Nativity Fast: fish, wine and oil allowed
Forefeast of the Conception of the Mother of God
Today we commemorate:
St. Patapius of Thebes (8th C). Holy Apostles of the Seventy: Sosthenes, Apollos, Cephas, Tychicus, Epaphroditus, and Onesiphorus (1st C). St. Sophronius, archbishop of Cyprus (6th C).
British Isles and Ireland:
St. Gunthild of Wimborne (748).
1 Timothy 5:1-10; Luke 20:27-44
Readings in bold type are those appointed by the Typikon for use at the Liturgy
1 Timothy 5:1-10
Timothy, my son, do not rebuke an older man but appeal to him as a father, to younger ones as brothers, to older women as mothers, to younger women as sisters with absolute purity. Honour widows who are truly widows, but if any widow has children or grandchildren, first let them learn to respect their own family and to repay their parents what they owe because this is appropriate and agreeable in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow and is left desolate trusts in God and perseveres in petitions and prayers night and day, but she who lives for pleasure is dead. Pass on these instructions so that they may be blameless. But if any do not provide for their own people, especially those of their own household, they have denied the faith and are worse than unbelievers. A widow may be enrolled if she is not under sixty years of age, has been the wife of one husband, and has a reputation for good works: if she brought up children, if she gave hospitality to strangers, if she washed the saints’ feet, if she assisted those in distress, if she devoted herself to every good work.
Luke 20:27-44
At that time some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came up and questioned Jesus. They said, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if someone who has a wife dies childless, but has a brother, then that brother should marry the wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers, and the first took a wife and died childless. Then the second took the wife, and that one died childless. Then the third took her, and it was the same with all seven: they left no children and died. Last of all the woman also died. At the resurrection then, of which of them will she be the wife? For the seven took her as wife.’ And in reply Jesus told them, ‘The children of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are judged worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They cannot die any more, for they are like angels; and they are children of God, being children of the resurrection. Because the dead are raised, as Moses demonstrated at the bush when he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is not a God of the dead but of the living, for all live through him.’ Some of the scribes responded by saying, ‘Teacher, you have spoken well.’ And they no longer dared question him about anything. He asked them, ‘How is it that they say that the Christ is David’s son? David himself says in the book of the Psalms, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a stool for your feet.’” David is therefore calling him Lord, so how is he his son?’