Wednesday, 16 December 2026

Prophet Haggai

Wednesday of the 29th week after Pentecost

248 days after Pascha · Tone 3 · Liturgy · Nativity Fast

Saints commemorated

Holy prophet Haggai

The Holy Prophet Haggai was the tenth of the Twelve Minor Prophets and a descendant of the tribe of Levi. He was born in Babylon during the captivity and prophesied during the reign of the Persian king Darius Hystaspes, around 500 BC. Returning with his fellow Jews to Jerusalem after the captivity, he urged the people, together with the prophet Zechariah, to take up the rebuilding of the Second Temple, which had been delayed by political opposition and by the people's preoccupation with their own houses. His brief book, preserved among the prophetic writings, contains four oracles delivered in the second year of Darius. He proclaimed that the glory of the Second Temple would surpass that of Solomon's, since the Messiah would appear within it in the latter days. Having seen the foundations of the Temple laid, he reposed in old age and was buried with honour near the priests' tombs in Jerusalem.

Saint Memnon, archbishop of Ephesus

Saint Memnon was metropolitan of Ephesus during the first half of the fifth century and is venerated for his defence of Orthodox christology at the Third Ecumenical Council, held at Ephesus in 431. As metropolitan of the host city he commanded the loyalty of the local population and gathered some forty bishops in addition to twelve from Pamphylia in support of Saint Cyril of Alexandria against the Nestorian heresy. When the verdict of Rome against Nestorius reached the council, Memnon refused communion with him and closed the churches of Ephesus to him. He hosted the second session of the council in his episcopal palace. With Saint Cyril he was unjustly deposed by John of Antioch's separate gathering, but was restored when peace was made in the church. Almost nothing else is known of him outside the council. He reposed in peace some time before the year 440.

Saint Modestus, archbishop of Jerusalem

Saint Modestus was born around the year 537 into a Christian family at Sebasteia in Cappadocia. His parents died when he was five months old, but he was raised in the Christian faith and from an early age was drawn to monastic life. He was tonsured a monk, struggled in ascetic labours on Mount Sinai, and was later made abbot of the monastery of Saint Theodosius in Palestine. In 614 the Persian king Khosrow II captured Jerusalem, burning churches, slaughtering monks, and carrying off Patriarch Zacharias and the precious Cross of the Lord. During the patriarch's fourteen-year captivity, Modestus served as locum tenens and laboured to bury the slain monks of Saint Sabbas's monastery and to restore the Holy Sepulchre and the city's churches and monasteries, helped by Saint John the Merciful, patriarch of Alexandria. After the death of Patriarch Zacharias, Modestus was elected patriarch of Jerusalem, serving from 632 until his repose at the age of ninety-seven in 634. Some Greek calendars commemorate him on 16 December, while the Slavic and other traditions keep his feast on 18 December.

Saint Theophano the empress

Saint Theophano was the first wife of the Byzantine emperor Leo VI the Wise, who reigned from 886 to 911. Born into the noble Martinakios family of Constantinople, she was renowned among the chroniclers of her time for her evangelical life, almsgiving and exceptional piety. Early in her marriage she shared the sufferings of her husband when, falsely accused of plotting against his father, the emperor Basil I, Leo was imprisoned for three years. During this trial she remained constant in prayer. Even as empress she continued to live as an ascetic, wearing simple clothing beneath her imperial robes, fasting strictly and giving generous aid to the poor and to monasteries. She bore patiently the unfaithfulness and cruelty of her husband, returning all things with kindness. She reposed around the year 893 or 897, and her relics were enshrined in a church built in her honour by the emperor.

Holy Empress and Wonderworker Theophano

893

She was born to noble parents in Constantinople. Beautiful and pious, she was chosen by the Emperor Basil (867-886) to be the bride of his son Leo VI the Wise. When Leo ascended the throne, the Empress showed no attraction to the honors and pleasures of the royal life, but devoted her days to prayer and almsgiving. She fulfilled all the duties of her Imperial station while living a life of austerity whenever out of the world’s sight. Beneath her rich garments she wore coarse haircloth, and kept fasts and vigils as if she were living the monastic life. She was humble and respectful to all, and would address even her servants as ‘Master’ or ‘Mistress.’ At night, after her servants had left her alone, she would leave her fine bed and sleep on a mat on the floor, rising often during the night to pray. After her daughter Eudocia died in 892, she wished to leave the world and enter a monastery, but her spiritual father St Euthymius (August 5) would not give his blessing. Nonetheless, her time in the world was not long: only three years later she died, before she had reached the age of thirty. Immediately after her funeral in the Church of the Holy Apostles, her holy relics became the source of many miracles and healings, and are venerated to this day in the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople.

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Hebrews — Hebrews 5.11-6.8

¹¹Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. ¹²For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. ¹³For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. ¹⁴But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

¹Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, ²Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. ³And this will we do, if God permit. ⁴For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, ⁵And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, ⁶If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. ⁷For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: ⁸But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Mark — Mark 8.30-34

³⁰And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. ³¹And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³²And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. ³³But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

³⁴And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.