Also known as the Prayer of the Day, the Collect of the Day occurs just prior to the Reading from Holy Scripture. It functions in several different ways. In some instances, the Collect of the Day serves to sound the theme of the readings for that day. This is especially the case during festivals (e.g., Christmas, Epiphany, Transfiguration) and at other times during the festival half of the church year. During other times, especially the Sundays after Pentecost, the Collect of the Day is often more general in nature, praying for general spiritual blessings or for the faithful hearing of God's Word.