Daily Mass Readings – Friday, 27 November 2026

1 And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold on the dragon the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

3 And he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should no more seduce the nations, till the thousand years be finished. And after that, he must be loosed a little time.

4 And I saw seats; and they sat upon them; and judgment was given unto them; and the souls of them that were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and who had not adored the beast nor his image, nor received his character on their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

11 And I saw a great white throne, and one sitting upon it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there was no place found for them.

21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth was gone, and the sea is now no more.

2 And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

R. (Rev. 21:3b) Here God lives among his people.

3 My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God.

R. Here God lives among his people.

4 For the sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtle a nest for herself where she may lay her young ones: Thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God.

R. Here God lives among his people.

5 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, O Lord: they shall praise thee for ever and ever.

6a Blessed is the man whose help is from thee.

8a For the law giver shall give a blessing, they shall go from virtue to virtue.

R. Here God lives among his people.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

28 Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

29 And he spoke to them in a similitude. See the fig tree, and all the trees:

30 When they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh;

31 So you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand.

32 Amen, I say to you, this generation shall not pass away, till all things be fulfilled.

33 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Scripture gives us a vision of everything unstable passing away: the old heaven and earth, the power of the dragon, and every force that deceives and opposes God. Yet this is not a message of despair. The holy city comes down from God, and the faithful live and reign with Christ. The psalm expresses the deepest longing beneath this promise: the soul thirsts for the courts of the Lord, because true blessedness is found where God dwells with his people.

Jesus teaches us to read the signs of the fig tree. When new life begins to appear, we recognize that summer is near; when the signs he describes unfold, we are to know that God’s kingdom is at hand. The proper response is not panic, but lifted heads. Heaven and earth may pass away, yet Christ’s words remain. In a world marked by change and uncertainty, we can anchor our lives in his promises, choosing fidelity over compromise and hope over fear. Every act of faithfulness becomes a quiet witness that the kingdom is already drawing near.

Lord Jesus, your word remains when all else changes. Fix my heart on your kingdom, and keep me from being deceived by powers that promise security apart from you. Give me courage to remain faithful to your name, especially when following you requires patience or sacrifice. Awaken in me the longing expressed by the psalmist for your presence and your dwelling among your people. Teach me to recognize signs of your grace and to lift my head in hope, trusting that redemption is near. May my life bear witness to the new creation you are bringing forth. Amen.