20th Sunday After Pentecost - 10/26/25
Sunday, October 26th is the 20th Sunday after Pentecost, and on this day the Church remembers:
Holy, Glorious Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher of Thessaloniki (ca. 306)
Commemoration of the Great Earthquake at Constantinople in 740 A.D.
St. Theóphil of the Kiev Caves, Bishop of Novgorod (Far Caves—1482)
Martyr Lupus (ca. 306)
Ven. Athanasius of Medikion Monastery (ca. 814)
Monastic Martyr Joseph of Dionysiou (Mt. Athos—1518).
Read more about the lives of these saints here.
Readings for Sunday, October 26th:
-
1
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2
And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
3
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
5
And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
6
The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.
7
Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.
8
Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,
9
for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.
10
Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
-
17
These things I command you, that you love one another.
18
If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20
Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21
But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
22
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23
He who hates Me hates My Father also.
24
If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.
25
But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
26
But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
27
And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
1
These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.
2
They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
-
11
But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
12
For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
13
For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.
14
And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace,
16
to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,
17
nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days.
19
But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.m description
-
19
There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
20
But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,
21
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22
So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
23
And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24
Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’
25
But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.
26
And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
27
Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house,
28
for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’
29
Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’
30
And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31
But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
The Holy Scriptures are part of the Church’s Holy Tradition. Metropolitan Kallistos Ware of blessed memory wrote:
In the words of Father Alexander Schmemann, “A Christian is the one who, wherever he looks, finds everywhere Christ, and rejoices in Him.” This is true in particular of the biblical Christian. Wherever he looks, on every page, he finds everywhere Christ.
See Metropolitan Ware’s article How to Read the Bible for more on an Orthodox approach to scripture.