28 November 2025 (Friday)
Friday of week 34 in Ordinary Time.
Ordinary Weekday/ Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time.
Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:
First Reading: Daniel 7: 2-14
Responsorial Psalm: Daniel 3: 75-81
Alleluia: Luke 21: 28
Gospel: Luke 21: 29-33
First Reading : Daniel 7:2‐14
I, Daniel, have been seeing visions in the night. I saw that the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea; four great beasts emerged from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings; and as I looked its wings were torn off, and it was lifted from the ground and set standing on its feet like a man; and it was given a human heart. The second beast I saw was different, like a bear, raised up on one of its sides, with three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth. “Up!” came the command “Eat quantities of flesh!” After this I looked, and saw another beast, like a leopard, and with four bird’s wings on its flanks; it had four heads, and power was given to it. Next I saw another vision in the visions of the night: I saw a fourth beast, fearful, terrifying, very strong; it had great iron teeth, and it ate, crushed and trampled underfoot what remained. It was different from the previous beasts and had ten horns. While I was looking at these horns, I saw another horn sprouting among them, a little one; three of the original horns were pulled out by the roots to make way for it; and in this horn I saw eyes like human eyes, and a mouth that was full of boasts. As I watched: Thrones were set in place and one of great age took his seat. His robe was white as snow, the hair of his head as pure as wool. His throne was a blaze of flames, its wheels were a burning fire. A stream of fire poured out, issuing from his presence. A thousand thousand waited on him, ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. A court was held and the books were opened. The great things the horn was saying were still ringing in my ears, and as I watched, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and committed to the flames. The other beasts were deprived of their power, but received a lease of life for a season and a time. I gazed into the visions of the night. And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man. He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence. On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.
Responsive Psalm : Daniel 3:75‐81
Mountains and hills! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Every thing that grows on the earth! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Springs of water! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Seas and rivers! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Sea beasts and everything that lives in water! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Birds of heaven! all bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Animals wild and tame! all bless the Lord.
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.
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 21:29‐33
Jesus told his disciples a parable: ‘Think of the fig tree and indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer is now near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.’
For our reflection today:
“Heaven and earth will pass away”, Jesus says, “but my words will not pass away” (v. 31). This is the true crux. On that day, each of us will have to understand whether the Word of the Son of God has illuminated our personal existence, or whether we turned our back to it, preferring to trust in our own words. More than ever, it will be the moment in which to abandon ourselves definitively to the Father’s love and to entrust ourselves to his mercy. No one can escape this moment, none of us! Shrewdness, which we often instil in our conduct in order to validate the image we wish to offer, will no longer be useful; likewise, the power of money and of economic means with which we pretentiously presume to buy everything and everyone, will no longer be of use. We will have with us nothing more than what we have accomplished in this life by believing in his Word: the all and nothing of what we have lived or neglected to fulfil. We will take with us only what we have given. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 18 November 2018)
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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