27 November 2025 (Thursday)
Ordinary Weekday/ Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time.
Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:
First Reading: Daniel 6: 12-28
Responsorial Psalm: Daniel 3: 68-74
Alleluia: Luke 21: 28
Gospel: Luke 21: 20-28
First Reading: Daniel 6: 12-28
Wherefore those men carefully watching him, found Daniel praying and making supplication to his God. And they came and spoke to the king concerning the edict: O king, hast thou not decreed, that every man that should make a request to any of the gods, or men, for thirty days, but to thyself, O king, should be cast into the den of the lions? And the king answered them, saying: The word is true according to the decree of the Medes and Persians, which it is not lawful to violate. Then they answered, and said before the king: Daniel, who is of the children of the captivity of Juda, hath not regarded thy law, nor the decree that thou hast made: but three times a day he maketh his prayer. Now when the king had heard these words, he was very much grieved, and in behalf of Daniel he set his heart to deliver him and even till sunset he laboured to save him. But those men perceiving the king’s design, said to him: Know thou, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no decree which the king hath made, may be altered. Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of the lions. And the king said to Daniel: Thy God, whom thou always servest, he will deliver thee. And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den: which the king sealed with his own ring, and with the ring of his nobles, that nothing should be done against Daniel. And the king went away to his house and laid himself down without taking supper, and meat was not set before him, and even sleep departed from him. Then the king rising very early in the morning, went in haste to the lions’ den: And coming near to the den, cried with a lamentable voice to Daniel, and said to him: Daniel, servant of the living God, hath thy God, whom thou servest always, been able, thinkest thou, to deliver thee from the lions? And Daniel answering the king, said: O king, live for ever: My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut up the mouths of the lions, and they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him justice hath been found in me: yea and before thee, O king, I have done no offence. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and he commanded that Daniel should be taken out of the den: and Daniel was taken out of the den, and no hurt was found in him, because he believed in his God. And by the king’s commandment, those men were brought that had accused Daniel: and they were cast into the lions’ den, they and their children, and their wives: and they did not reach the bottom of the den, before the lions caught them, and broke all their bones in pieces. Then king Darius wrote to all people, tribes, and languages, dwelling in the whole earth: PEACE be multiplied unto you. It is decreed by me, that in all my empire and my kingdom all men dread and fear the God of Daniel. For he is the living and eternal God for ever: and his kingdom shall not be destroyed, and his power shall be for ever. He is the deliverer, and saviour, doing signs and wonders in heaven, and in earth: who hath delivered Daniel out of the lions’ den.
Responsorial Psalm: Daniel 3: 68-74
R. (59) Give glory and eternal praise to him.
O ye dews and hoar frosts, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
O ye frost and cold, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
O ye ice and snow, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
O ye nights and days, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
O ye light and darkness, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
O ye lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
O let the earth bless the Lord: let it praise and exalt him above all for ever.
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
Alleluia: Luke 21: 28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
28 Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.
(20. 'When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you must realise that it will soon be laid desolate.
21. Then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains, those inside the city must leave it, and those in country districts must not take refuge in it.
22. For this is the time of retribution when all that scripture says must be fulfilled.
23. Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when those days come!
24. 'For great misery will descend on the land and retribution on this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive to every gentile country; and Jerusalem will be trampled down by the gentiles until their time is complete.
25. 'There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the turmoil of the ocean and its waves;
26. men fainting away with terror and fear at what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.
27. And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.')
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Luke 21: 20-28
And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed about with an army; then know that the desolation thereof is at hand. Then let those who are in Judea, flee to the mountains; and those who are in the midst thereof, depart out: and those who are in the countries, not enter into it. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things may be fulfilled, that are written. But woe to them that are with child, and give suck in those days; for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword; and shall be led away captives into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles; till the times of the nations be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves; Men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved; And then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud, with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand.
For our reflection today:
The Gospel of today’s liturgy speaks to us about cosmic upheavals and anxiety and fear in humanity. In this context, Jesus addresses a word of hope to His disciples: “Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand”. Indeed, many of Jesus’ contemporaries, faced with the catastrophic events they saw happening around them – persecutions, conflicts, natural disasters – are gripped by anxiety and think that the end of the world is coming. Their hearts are weighed down with fear. Jesus, however, wants to free them from present anxieties and false convictions, showing them how to stay awake in their hearts, how to read events from the plan of God, who works salvation even within the most dramatic events of history. That is why He suggests that they turn their gaze to Heaven to understand the things of earth. Indeed, it can happen that the anxiety, fears and worries about our personal lives or about what is happening in the world today weigh down on us like boulders and throw us into discouragement. If worries weigh down our hearts and induce us to close in on ourselves, Jesus, on the contrary, invites us to lift up our heads, to trust in His love that wants to save us and that draws close to us in every situation of our existence, He asks us to make room for Him in order to find hope again. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 1 December 2024)
Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Most High Servant,
Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love (Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)
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