Wednesday, November 25, 2026 — Wednesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
By your perseverance
Luke 21:12-19
Readings of the day: Revelation 15:1-4; Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 7-8, 9; Luke 21:12-19.
The Gospel
Before the end, Jesus says, his disciples will be seized and persecuted, handed over to synagogues and prisons, and brought before kings and governors because of his name. They are not to prepare their defense beforehand: he himself will give them words and wisdom no adversary can resist. Even parents and friends will betray some of them, and they will be hated by all because of his name, but not a hair of their heads will perish. By perseverance they will secure their lives.
Reflection
Persecution, betrayal, even by those closest to us: Jesus promises his disciples none of these will be spared, and yet he promises something greater. He himself will fight for them: “Be not afraid, go forward to the battle, it is I that fight; you utter the words, I am He that speaketh,” says St. Gregory. And the way to stand firm is patience: “He who preserves patience in adversity, is thereby rendered proof against all affliction.” The martyrs of every age, and Andrew Dung-Lac and his companions among them, show that the disciple who endures is never alone in the trial. By perseverance, Jesus says, you will secure your lives.
From the Fathers
“Be not afraid, go forward to the battle, it is I that fight; you utter the words, I am He that speaketh.”
— St. Gregory the Great, Homily 35 on the Gospels, in the Catena Aurea on Luke 21:12–19
“He who preserves patience in adversity, is thereby rendered proof against all affliction, and so by conquering himself, he gains the government of himself.”
— St. Gregory the Great, Morals on the Book of Job, book 5, ch. 16, in the Catena Aurea on Luke 21:12–19
Saint of the day
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (d. c. 305). According to the ancient account, this young Christian of Alexandria confounded the learned men gathered to make her deny Christ, and was beheaded for her faith. Her feast was restored to the General Roman Calendar in 2002; she is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and patroness of scholars, students and philosophers.
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Sources: the day’s readings follow the daily lectionary (USCCB, Lectionary 505). The Gospel text is not reproduced here; read it at the link above. Patristic quotes: Catena Aurea on Luke 21:12–19, compiled by St. Thomas Aquinas, translated by John Henry Newman (1841, public domain).