Royal Hours of Theophany; Forefeast of Theophany

My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with partiality. ²For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in, ³and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing and say, “Sit here in a good place;” and you tell the poor man, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool” ⁴haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him? ⁶But you have dishonored the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you and personally drag you before the courts? ⁷Don’t they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called?

⁸However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well. ⁹But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. ¹¹For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹²So speak and so do as men who are to be judged by the law of freedom. ¹³For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

As he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings!”

²Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone on another, which will not be thrown down.”

³As he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴“Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign that these things are all about to be fulfilled?”

⁵Jesus, answering, began to tell them, “Be careful that no one leads you astray. ⁶For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and will lead many astray.

⁷“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be troubled. For those must happen, but the end is not yet. ⁸For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines and troubles. These things are the beginning of birth pains.