Friday, November 27, 2026 — Friday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
The fig tree
Luke 21:29-33
Readings of the day: Revelation 20:1-4, 11-21:2; Psalm 84:3, 4, 5-6a, 8a; Luke 21:29-33.
The Gospel
Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree: when its branches bud, you know summer is near. So too, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. This generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but his words will not pass away.
Reflection
The fig tree does not argue about summer; it buds, and summer is near. Jesus gives his disciples a sign they can read: when these things happen, the kingdom of God is near. “As from the fruit of the tree the summer is perceived to be near, so from the fall of the world the kingdom of God is known to be at hand,” says St. Gregory. And the word that announces it will not fail: “Though all things should be shaken, yet shall my faith fail not,” says Theophylact. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the words of Christ stand. Our hope is not in the things that pass, but in the Word that remains.
From the Fathers
“As from the fruit of the tree the summer is perceived to be near, so from the fall of the world the kingdom of God is known to be at hand.”
— St. Gregory the Great, Homily 1 on the Gospels, in the Catena Aurea on Luke 21:29–33
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away: as if He said, Though all things should be shaken, yet shall my faith fail not.”
— Theophylact of Ohrid, in the Catena Aurea on Luke 21:29–33
Saint of the day
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. On November 27, 1830, Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Labouré, a Daughter of Charity in Paris, and showed her the medal she wished to have struck, with the words: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” She promised many graces to all who wear it.
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Sources: the day’s readings follow the daily lectionary (USCCB, Lectionary 507). The Gospel text is not reproduced here; read it at the link above. Patristic quotes: Catena Aurea on Luke 21:29–33, compiled by St. Thomas Aquinas, translated by John Henry Newman (1841, public domain).