28 Nov 2025 – Friday of Week 34

28 Nov 2025 – Friday of Week 34

1st Reading: Revelation 20:1-4; 21:1-2

(Also Daniel 7:2-14 – below)

Those who reject the beast will reign with Christ, 1000 years

I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while.

Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Daniel 7:2-14

Daniel said, ‘I 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 others. The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings and, as I looked, its wings were torn off, and it was lifted off the ground and set standing on its feet like a human; and it was given a human heart.

And there before me was a second beast, like a bear, rearing up on one side, with three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth. “Up!” came the command. “Eat quantities of flesh!” After this I looked; and there before me was another beast, like a leopard, and with four bird’s wings on its flanks; it had four heads and was granted authority.

Next, in the visions of the night, I saw another vision: there before me was a fourth beast, fearful, terrifying, very strong; it had great iron teeth, and it ate its victims, crushed them, and trampled their remains underfoot. 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 full of boasting. While I was watching, thrones were set in place and one most venerable 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. The court was in session and the books lay open.

‘I went on watching: then, because of the noise made by the boastings of the horn, as I watched, the beast was put to death, and its body destroyed and committed to the flames. The other beasts were deprived of their empire, but received a lease of life for a season and a time.

I was gazing into the visions of the night, when I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, as it were a son of man. He came to the One most venerable and was led into his presence. On him was conferred rule, honour and kingship, and all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His rule is an everlasting rule which will never pass away, and his kingship will never come to an end.

Responsorial: Daniel 3:75-81

R./: Give glory and eternal praise to him.

Mountains and hills! bless the Lord. (R./)

Everything that grows on the earth! bless the Lord. (R./)

Springs of water! bless the Lord. (R./)

Seas and rivers! bless the Lord. (R./)

Sea beasts and everything that lives in water! bless the Lord. (R./)

Birds of heaven! bless the Lord. (R./)

Animals, wild and tame! bless the Lord. (R./)

Gospel: Luke 21:29-33

Know that the reign of God is near. My word will not pass away

Jesus told them a parable:
“Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Colourful symbols for here and now

The Book of Revelation is typical of apocalyptic literature but today’s gospel speaks in plainer language. From the example of the budding fig tree we can tell that summer is near. So “when you see all the things happening, know that the reign of God is near.” Both the readings offer signs whose meaning must be discerned, and the instinct of faith attunes us to what God is saying by the world about us.

The wildly colourful book of Revelation was written under the pressure of persecution by the Roman empire, when the church felt hounded on all sides. The inspired seer of Patmos predicted the collapse of the tyrannical empire that would lead to a period of peace for the church. After that would come the second appearance of Christ, the new heavens and the new earth, the new holy city Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, radiant as a bride prepared to meet her husband.

The fig tree is in full bloom and the harvest is near, yet in our everyday lives we have to be realists. A strange advice: to be sober amid the weird symbols of the apocalyptic seers. Realists in digging beneath the surface and perceptively listening for the hidden message. This message will not go away, for it is the word of God, predicting the new heavens and the new earth. Weird as the vision may seem to us, our world will blossom into the beautiful Jerusalem, like a lovely bride meeting her husband.

Disconcerting change

We live in a world of rapid change that many find disconcerting and unsettling. We need some constants in our lives, and we find change easier to manage if at least the basics remain the same. In the gospel Jesus speaks about change on a cosmic scale, hugely significant change, when heaven and earth will pass away; it is hard to imagine a more radical kind of change than that.

But after predicting radical change, he promised something unchangeable. His own words, he says, will never pass away. During even the most radical changes, the word of God remains constant, because God remains true. He is the rock that endures when all else passes. Even during disconcerting change we trust that when all else is shifting, he remains steady. Being anchored on him keeps us steady when all else seems ready to fall apart.