Tuesday 17th March 2026
Lenten Fast: strict fast
Today we commemorate:
St. Alexius, the Man of God (411). St. Theosterictus the Confessor, abbot of Pelecete Monastery near Prusa (826). Holy Martyr Marinus the Soldier, at Caesarea in Palestine (260). Venerable Macarius, abbot, Wonderworker of Kalyazin (1483).
British Isles and Ireland:
St. Patrick, bishop of Armagh, Apostle to the Irish (461). St. Beccan of Rhum (677). St. Withburga, hermit at Holkham and East Dereham (c.743).
Isaiah 25:1-9; Genesis 9:8-17; Proverbs 12:8-22
Isaiah 25:1-9
O Lord my God, I shall glorify you. May I sing praise to your name for you have done wonderful things with ancient and faithful purpose. So be it, Lord, you made cities a heap, even strong cities, causing their foundations to collapse. May the city of the ungodly never be rebuilt. Therefore the poor will bless you and the cities of the distressed will bless you, for you became a helper to every humble city and a shelter to those disheartened by poverty. You will deliver them from the wicked, be a shelter to those who thirst and give breath to those who are wronged, like the faint-hearted thirsting in Zion because of the ungodly to whom you delivered us. The Lord of hosts will make a feast for all the nations on this mountain; they will drink gladness, they will drink wine; they will anoint themselves with myrrh. On this mountain proclaim all this to the nations, for this message is for all the nations. Death prevailed and swallowed them up, but the Lord God once more took away every tear from every face. He took away the shame of his people from all the earth, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. And they will say on that day, ‘Behold our God in whom we trusted; we are glad and shall rejoice in our salvation.’
Genesis 9:8-17
God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, ‘Behold, I establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living thing that is with you: the birds and the beasts, all the wild animals of the earth, all of those with you, all that came out of the ark. I shall establish my covenant with you. Never again will every living creature die by the waters of a flood, nor will there ever be a deluge of water that destroys the whole earth.’ And the Lord God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I set between me and you and every living creature with you for generations for ever. I set my bow in the cloud. It will be a token of the covenant between me and the earth. It will be, when I gather clouds upon the earth, that my bow will be seen in the cloud and I shall remember my covenant between me and you and every living creature. There will be no deluge of water to wipe out all living things. My bow will be in the cloud and I shall see it and remember the everlasting covenant between me and the earth and every living creature on earth.’ God said to Noah, ‘This is the token of the covenant I have made between me and all that lives on the earth.’
Proverbs 12:8-22
The mouths of the intelligent gain a man’s approval, but the dim-witted are mocked. Better a man of no status who is his own servant than one who bestows honour upon himself and goes without food. The righteous have pity for the lives of their cattle, but the heart of the ungodly lacks mercy. Whoever tills his own land will have enough food, but those who pursue vanities understand nothing. Those who enjoy themselves with banquets of wine will bequeath dishonour to their own strongholds. The desires of the ungodly are evil, but the roots of the godly are set firm. By the sin of the lips a sinner falls into snares, but the righteous escape from them. Whoever has a gentle appearance will receive mercy, but those who fight at the gates will wound souls. The soul of a man will be filled with good things from the fruits of his mouth, and the reward of his lips will be given him. The ways of fools are right in their own eyes, but the wise listen to advice. A fool shows his anger the same day, but the prudent hide their own disgrace. The righteous speak the plain truth, but an unrighteous witness is deceitful. There are some who wound with a sword as they speak, but the tongues of the wise bring healing. True lips establish testimony, but a hasty witness has a dishonest tongue. Deceit is in the heart of those who contrive evil, but those who choose peace will rejoice. No injustice will please the just, but the ungodly will be filled with evils. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are accepted by him.
The text and chapter and verse references of the Old Testament readings are those of the Septuagint