Church calendar · 2026

2 August Sunday

Old Style — 20 July

The Prophet Elijah

Fast-free day Tone 8

The 9th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone 8

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The Prophet Elijah the Tishbite (IX c. before the Nativity of Christ)

Commemoration

Tap a name to open the life

3 of 5 names — the rest are in Georgian only

All the lives for this day — 3

Readings

At Vespers: 1) 3 Kgdms 17:1–23; 2) 3 Kgdms 18:1, 17–41, 44, 42, 45–46; 19:1–16; 3) 3 Kgdms 19:19–21; 4 Kgdms 2:1, 6–14

At Matins: Jn 20:19–31 (§65)

At the Liturgy: 1 Cor 3:9–17 (§128); Mt 14:22–34 (§59)

For the prophet: Jas 5:10–20 (§57); Lk 4:22–30 (§14)

The tone and the day's psalms

This week's tone is 8Eight tones — the Octoechos

What is a tone?

A tone is not a psalm number. It is the mode in which that week's resurrection hymns are sung — the whole week's Vespers, Matins and Liturgy are set in one tone.

There are eight tones, and they change each week. The cycle opens with the first tone on Thomas Sunday after Pascha and returns to the first every eight weeks; Bright Week itself has no tone of its own. A new tone begins on Saturday evening, with the new church week.

The Psalter is divided into twenty kathismata and, by the usual rule, is read through once a week. Appointed for this day:

This is the usual rule. In Great Lent the Psalter is read twice a week, and the kathismata are divided differently.

Word of the day

With the streams of thy tears thou didst cultivate the barren desert, and with sighs from the depths of thy soul thou didst make thy labours bear fruit a hundredfold; and thou didst become a luminary of the world, shining with miracles, O our holy father Zosimas: entreat Christ God for mercy upon our souls.