Daily Readings | Christ the Savior Orthodox Church

October 1, 2026

Protection (Pokrov) of the Most-Holy Theotokos

No Fast — Fish, Wine and Oil are Allowed

Commemorations

The Protection of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary • St Romanos the Melodist of Constantinople (556) • Our Holy Father Gregory the Choirmaster (Domestikos) of the Great Lavra (1355) • Saint Remigius, Bishop of Rheims, Apostle to the Franks (533)

Genesis 28.10-17

¹⁰ Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. ¹¹ He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. ¹² He dreamed and saw a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ Behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. I will give the land you lie on to you and to your offspring. ¹⁴ Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your offspring, all the families of the earth will be blessed. ¹⁵ Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.” ¹⁶ Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I didn’t know it.” ¹⁷ He was afraid, and said, “How awesome this place is! This is none other than God’s house, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Ezekiel 43.27-44.4

²⁷ When they have accomplished the days, it shall be that on the eighth day and onward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings on the altar and your peace offerings. Then I will accept you,’ says the Lord GOD.” ¹ Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which looks toward the east; and it was shut. ² The LORD said to me, “This gate shall be shut. It shall not be opened, no man shall enter in by it; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered in by it. Therefore it shall be shut. ³ As for the prince, he shall sit in it as prince to eat bread before the LORD. He shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out the same way.” ⁴ Then he brought me by the way of the north gate before the house; and I looked, and behold, the LORD’s glory filled the LORD’s house; so I fell on my face.

Proverbs 9.1-11

¹ Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars. ² She has prepared her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has also set her table. ³ She has sent out her maidens. She cries from the highest places of the city: ⁴ “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him, ⁵ “Come, eat some of my bread, Drink some of the wine which I have mixed! ⁶ Leave your simple ways, and live. Walk in the way of understanding.” ⁷ One who corrects a mocker invites insult. One who reproves a wicked man invites abuse. ⁸ Don’t reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise person, and he will love you. ⁹ Instruct a wise person, and he will be still wiser. Teach a righteous person, and he will increase in learning. ¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. ¹¹ For by me your days will be multiplied. The years of your life will be increased.

Luke 1.39-49, 56

³⁹ Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah, ⁴⁰ and entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² She called out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy! ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!” ⁴⁶ Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord. ⁴⁷ My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, ⁴⁸ for he has looked at the humble state of his servant. For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed. ⁴⁹ For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name. ⁵⁶ Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her house.

Hebrews 9.1-7

¹ Now indeed even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and an earthly sanctuary. ² For a tabernacle was prepared. In the first part were the lamp stand, the table, and the show bread, which is called the Holy Place. ³ After the second veil was the tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, ⁴ having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; ⁵ and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, of which things we can’t speak now in detail. ⁶ Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services, ⁷ but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offers for himself and for the errors of the people.

Luke 6.12-19

¹² In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God. ¹³ When it was day, he called his disciples, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles: ¹⁴ Simon, whom he also named Peter; Andrew, his brother; James; John; Philip; Bartholomew; ¹⁵ Matthew; Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus; Simon who was called the Zealot; ¹⁶ Judas the son of James; and Judas Iscariot, who also became a traitor. ¹⁷ He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a crowd of his disciples and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, ¹⁸ as well as those who were troubled by unclean spirits; and they were being healed. ¹⁹ All the multitude sought to touch him, for power came out of him and healed them all.

Ephesians 5.33-6.9

³³ Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband. ¹ Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise: ³ “that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.” 6:3 Deuteronomy 5:16 ⁴ You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. ⁵ Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ, ⁶ not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, ⁷ with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men, ⁸ knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same good again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free. ⁹ You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.

Luke 10.38-42, 11.27-28

³⁸ As they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.” ⁴¹ Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, ⁴² but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.” ²⁷ It came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!” ²⁸ But he said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”

The Protection of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

On October 1, 911, during the reign of Emperor Leo the Wise, an all-night vigil was being held at the Blachernae Church of the Mother of God in Constantinople, with many of the faithful crowding the church. St Andrew the Fool for Christ (commemorated tomorrow, October 2) was standing at the back of the church with his disciple Epiphanius. At around four in the morning, the most holy Theotokos appeared above the people, clothed in resplendent garments, surrounded by indescribable radiance, and holding a veil in her outstretched hands, as though to protect all the people. St Andrew said to Epiphanius ‘Do you see how the Queen and Lady of all is praying for the whole world?’ Epiphanius replied ‘Yes, Father, I see it and stand in dread.’ This wonderful event is recorded in Epiphanius’ life of St Andrew. Because of it, the Church keeps an annual feast on this date.

Note: This feast is particularly well-loved in the Slavic churches. In 1960, the Greek church transferred its observance to October 28, in memory of the Mother of God’s protection of the Greek forces holding the Albanian front against Italy in 1940.

St Romanos the Melodist of Constantinople (556)

He was born in Emessa in Syria, probably of Jewish parents. He served as a deacon in Beirut, then in Constantinople at the time of Patriarch Euphemius (490-496). He was illiterate, had no musical training, and was a poor singer; thus he was despised by many of the more cultivated clergy. One night, after Romanos had prayed to the Mother of God, she appeared to him in a dream, held out a piece of paper and told him to swallow it. On the following day, the Nativity of Christ, Romanos went to the ambon and, with an angelic voice, sang ‘Today the Virgin…’, which is still sung as the Kontakion of the Feast. All present were amazed at the completely unexpected beauty of the hymn and of Romanos’ singing. St Romanos went on to compose more than a thousand Kontakia (which were once long hymns, not the short verses used in church today). He is almost certainly the author of the sublime Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God, which has served as the model for all other Akathists. He reposed in peace, while still a deacon of the Great Church in Constantinople. Many of his hymns were inspired by the hymns of St Ephraim of Syria.

The influence of Middle Eastern music on the hymnography of the Church is incalculable. Many of those who established the form of the Church’s music were Syrians: two noted examples are St Romanos and St John of Damascus, who composed the Octoechos, the Pascha service, and the Funeral Service. Their music was in turn modeled on the music of the Hebrew temple. The Byzantine musical tradition has descended without break from the music sung in Christ’s time, and presumably by Christ Himself.

Our Holy Father Gregory the Choirmaster (Domestikos) of the Great Lavra (1355)

He was a cantor at the Great Lavra on Mt Athos. Once, on the eve of Theophany, he was inspired to sing the hymn O full of grace, thou who art the joy of all creation instead of the usual It is truly meet to bless thee during the Divine Liturgy. When he did this, the most holy Theotokos appeared to him, thanked him and gave him a gold coin as a sign of her favor. The coin is still kept at the Lavra. He reposed in peace. St Gregory’s hymn has been sung since that time as part of the Divine Liturgy of St Basil.

Saint Remigius, Bishop of Rheims, Apostle to the Franks (533)

He was born in 438 in northern Gaul. After devoting himself for awhile to secular and sacred learning, he withdrew to a small house near Laon, to live in reclusion and prayer. But when a bishop was needed in Rheims, the clergy and people carried him off from his hermitage and made him their bishop. He was only twenty-two years old at the time.

The holy bishop soon became renowned throughout northern Gaul. He converted heretics, brought Arian heretics back to the Orthodox Faith, and cared for the many who suffered at the hands of barbarian marauders. Wherever he went, miracles attended him. He healed the sick and demonized and once, when a town was on fire, threw himself into the flames and quenched them. Birds would come to his table whenever he ate, and he would share his meal with them.

In 482 the young warrior Clovis became leader of the Frankish tribes in that region. Though he was a pagan, he knew and admired St Remigius, and was married to a Christian, St Clotilde (June 3). Once, when his army faced defeat by the Alemanii, Clovis prayed to ‘the God of Clotilde and Remigius’ and won a great victory. This answer to his prayers convinced him of the truth of the Christian Faith, and he asked St Remigius to instruct him. Two years later he gathered all his chieftains in Rheims to attend his baptism. The baptism was accompanied by many miracles, seen by all in attendance. Two of the king’s sisters and three thousand of his lords and soldiers were baptized at the ceremony. This event is considered the birth of France as a Christian nation.

In great old age, St Remigius went blind, but miraculously recovered his sight. He reposed in peace at the age of 105, immediately after serving the Divine Liturgy.

Scripture from the World English Bible (Orthodox Edition). Calendar data courtesy of Orthocal.info.