Orthodox Daily Readings
The Epistle and Gospel appointed for each day of the Orthodox year.
The Orthodox Church appoints Scripture for every day of the year. Most days carry an Epistle and a Gospel at the Divine Liturgy, chosen by a lectionary that runs on cycles anchored to Pascha, and supplemented by readings for the saint or feast of the day. Our calendar shows the appointed readings for every date, in both the Julian and Revised Julian reckonings.
How the lectionary works
- The Gospel cycle begins at Pascha with John, moves to Matthew after Pentecost, then to Luke from the week after the Exaltation of the Cross.
- The Epistle cycle runs from Acts at Pascha through the Pauline epistles and the catholic epistles.
- Great Lent has no Liturgy on weekdays, so the readings shift to Genesis, Isaiah and Proverbs at Vespers and the Sixth Hour.
- Feasts and saints' days bring their own readings, which may replace or be added to the daily cycle.
Old Testament readings
Old Testament lessons (paremias) are read at Vespers on the eves of great feasts and throughout Great Lent, drawn from the Greek Septuagint text that the Orthodox Church uses. They are chosen typologically: the three young men in the furnace before Holy Saturday, Jonah before Pascha, Isaiah before the Nativity.
Reading them at home
Many Orthodox Christians read the day's Epistle and Gospel each morning as part of their prayer rule, together with the life of the saint commemorated. Doing so keeps personal reading in step with the Church rather than with a private plan.
Where to find today's readings
The home page of this site shows today's Scripture readings alongside the fasting rule and the saints commemorated, and you can move to any other date to see its readings. Switch between the Julian and Gregorian reckonings at the top of the calendar if your parish keeps the Old Calendar.
Frequently asked
- Are the daily readings the same in every Orthodox Church?
- The lectionary is shared, but the civil date differs between Old Calendar and New Calendar Churches for fixed feasts. The Paschal cycle readings are the same for all.
- Why does the Orthodox Old Testament read differently?
- Because Orthodoxy uses the Septuagint, the Greek translation used by the Apostles, rather than the Masoretic Hebrew text behind most Western translations.
- Are there readings on days without a Liturgy?
- Yes — Vespers, Matins and the Hours carry their own readings, especially during Great Lent.