ORTHROS

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

The Orthodox liturgical day, its saint, its tone, and its fast.

New Calendar

Commemorated today

  • Ven. Maximus the Confessor
  • Holy Martyr Agnes of Rome (ca. 304)
  • Our Holy Father Maximos the Greek (1556)

Today is a strict fast, no meat, dairy, fish, wine, or oil.

Old Calendar

Commemorated today

  • Ven. George the Chozebite
  • Our Venerable Mother Domnica (Domnina) (ca. 474)
  • Saint Atticus, Patriarch of Constantinople (425)
  • Saint Severinus (482)

Today is a strict fast, no meat, dairy, fish, wine, or oil.

  • The Paschal season

The day’s readings

EpistleJames 3.11-4.6

3:11Does a spring send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water? 12Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water. 13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth. 15This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. 16For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed. 17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. 4:1Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members? 2You lust, and don’t have. You murder and covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask. 3You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”? 6But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

WEB, public domain

GospelMark 11.22-26

11:22Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening, he shall have whatever he says. 24Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. 25Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. 26But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.”

WEB, public domain

The order and appointment of the readings follow the Orthodox lectionary. Come to the Liturgy to hear them proclaimed.

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