Sunday 16th November 2025
Nativity Fast: fish, wine and oil allowed
Tone 6 - Eothinon 1
23rd after Pentecost, 8th of Luke
Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew (60)
Today we commemorate:
St. Fulvianus, Prince of Ethiopia, in Holy Baptism, Matthew (1st C). Holy Martyr Ephygenia.
British Isles and Ireland:
St. Afan of Llanafan in Powys (6th C). St. Gobrain, bishop and hermit (725). St. Aelfric, 28th archbishop of Canterbury (1005).
Ephesians 2:4-10; Luke 10:25-37
For the Commemoration: 1 Corinthians 4:9-16; Matthew 9:9-13
Readings in bold type are those appointed by the Typikon for use at the Liturgy
Ephesians 2:4-10
Brothers and sisters, God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved, for he raised us together and set us together with Christ Jesus in the heights of heaven so that in the ages to come he might show the overflowing riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves but the gift of God, not from works so that no one may boast. And we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to walk in the good works that God has already prepared for us.
Luke 10:25-37
At that time one of the lawyers stood up to test Jesus. He asked, ‘Teacher, what have I to do so that I shall inherit everlasting life?’ He said to him, ‘What has been written in the Law? How do you read it?’ He replied, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’ He told him, ‘You answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.’ But he wanted to put himself in the right, and he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied by saying, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was surrounded by robbers. They stripped him, wounded him, and went away leaving him half dead. By coincidence there was priest going down by that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. In the same way a Levite also happened upon the place. He came and looked, and passed by on the opposite side. Then a travelling Samaritan came across him. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion. He came up and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He lifted him on to his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And when he left in the morning he took out two denarii which he gave to the innkeeper, telling him, “Take care of him, and when I return I shall repay you whatever you spend in addition.” Now which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the one who was ambushed by robbers?’ He replied, ‘The one who showed mercy to him.’ And Jesus told him, ‘Go and do as he did.’
1 Corinthians 4:9-16
Brothers and sisters, God has exhibited us, the apostles, in last place, like those appointed to die, for we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, while you are strong. You are the honoured, and we the dishonoured. Right up to the present time we hunger and thirst. We are ragged and battered and homeless. We labour, working with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure it; when vilified, we offer encouragement. We have become the scum of the earth, like everyone’s scraped off dirt, right up to the present time. I am not writing these things to shame you but to warn you, my beloved children. You may have ten thousand tutors in Christ but you do not have many fathers, and in Christ Jesus, through the Gospel, I became your father. I beg you therefore, be imitators of me.
Matthew 9:9-13
At that time, as Jesus passed by he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office. He said to him, ‘Follow me,’ and he got up and followed him. He was dining at the house, and many tax collectors and sinners came to join Jesus and his disciples at the table. When the Pharisees saw this they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus heard, and he told them, ‘The healthy do not need a physician, but those who are ill do. Now go away and learn what this means: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’