Thursday of the XXXIV Week in Ordinary Time
- Blessed Virgin of the Miraculous Medal
- St. Fearghal (Virgil) of Salzburg Bishop (c. 700-784)
- Saint of the Day
First Reading
God has sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths.
From the Book of the Prophet Daniel
Dn 6:12-28
In those days, some men came by agreement and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Then they came near and said before the king concerning the injunction: “O king, did you not sign an injunction, that everyone who shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which alters not.” Then answered they and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the captives of Judah, regards not you, O king, nor the injunction that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
Then the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased, and set his heart on Daniel to save him; and he labored until the going down of the sun to deliver him. Then these men came by agreement to the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no injunction nor decree which the king establishes may be changed.”
Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you serve continually, he will deliver you.” A stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting; neither were instruments of music brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste to the den of lions. When he came near to the den to Daniel, he cried with a troubled voice; the king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me; because, forasmuch as innocence was found in me before him; and also before you, O king, have I done no hurt.”
Then was the king exceedingly glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of hurt was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. The king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they came to the bottom of the den.
Then king Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel;
for he is the living God,
and he endures forever;
his kingdom shall not be destroyed,
and his dominion shall be even to the end.
He delivers and rescues,
and he works signs and wonders in heaven and in earth;
who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Dn 3:68-74
R. To him be praise and glory forever.
Bless the Lord, all dew and hoar frost.
Bless the Lord, all frost and cold. R.
Bless the Lord, all ice and snow.
Bless the Lord, all nights and days. R.
Bless the Lord, all light and darkness.
Bless the Lord, all lightning and clouds. R.
Let the earth bless the Lord;
let it praise and exalt him above all forever. R.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Straighten up and raise your heads,
because your redemption is drawing near. (Lk 21:28)
Alleluia.
The Gospel of the Day, November 27, 2025
Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
From the Gospel according to Luke
Lk 21:20-28
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples:
“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter therein. For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant, and to those who nurse infants in those days! For there will be great distress in the land, and wrath on this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth there will be distress of nations, by reason of the roaring of the sea and the surging waves; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
The Word of the Lord.
Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
Pope, Doctor of the Church
Homilies on the Gospel, no. 1, 3 (transl. cb© evangelizo)
“Stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near”
“The powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Who does the Lord call the powers of the heavens, if not the angels, archangels, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, and Powers? (Col 1:16) They will appear visibly at the coming of the Judge… “Then they will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with great power and glory.” This is clearly meant to say: “They will see in power and majesty the one they refused to listen to when he presented himself in humility.” (…) This is said for the reprobate. The following words, however, are addressed to the elect to console them: “When these things begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” It is as if the Truth clearly warns the elect, saying: “When the misfortunes of the world multiply (…), rejoice in your hearts. As the world, of which you are not friends, comes to an end, the redemption you desire approaches.” Those who love God are invited to rejoice in seeing the end of the world draw near, because they will soon find the world they love, once the one they were not attached to has passed. The faithful person who longs to see God must take care not to mourn the misfortunes afflicting the world, knowing that they bring its end. Indeed, it is written: “Whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (Jas 4:4). Therefore, whoever does not rejoice to see the end of this world approach shows that he is a friend of it and thereby proves to be an enemy of God. Let the hearts of the faithful, of those who believe that another life exists and who, by their deeds, prove that they love it, not be so. (…) In fact, what is this mortal life but a journey? Now, what folly, my brothers, to exhaust yourselves on this road, while not wanting to reach its end! (…) Thus, my brothers, do not love the things of this world which, as we see from what is happening around us, cannot endure much longer.
THE WORDS OF THE POPES
Today’s Gospel reading (…) speaks to us of cosmic upheavals and anxiety and fear in humanity. In this context, Jesus addresses a word of hope to his disciples: “Straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (…) Indeed, many of Jesus’ contemporaries, faced with the catastrophic events they see happening around them – persecutions, conflicts, natural disasters – are gripped by anguish and think the end of the world is about to arrive. Their hearts are weighed down by fear. Jesus, however, wants to free them from present anxieties and false convictions, indicating how to stay vigilant in the heart, how to interpret events based on God’s plan, which brings about salvation even within the most dramatic events of history. For this reason, he suggests they turn their gaze toward Heaven to understand the things of the earth. (…) It can happen, in fact, that anxieties, fears, and worries about our personal lives or about what is happening in the world today, weigh on us like boulders and cast us into discouragement. If worries weigh down the heart and lead 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 which draws near in every situation of our existence, asking us to make room for Him to rediscover hope. (Pope Francis – Angelus, December 1, 2024)
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