About Today
Thursday 27 November 2025
Thursday of week 34 in Ordinary Time
Come before the Lord, singing with joy.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: Green.
Other saints: Saint Fergal (c.700 - 784)
Ireland, Dunkeld: 27 Nov
Aberdeen: 18 Nov
Fergal (Ferghil, Vergil, Virgil) was an Irish monk, possibly educated at Clonbroney under St Samthann and going on to become Abbot of Aghaboe. Like many Irish monks of the time, he set off on his ‘pilgrimage of the love of Christ’, in 723. He passed through France and southern Germany. He was invited to Bavaria by Duke Odilo and founded the monastery of Chiemsee. Eventually he became Abbot of St Peter’s at Salzburg. He engaged in controversy with St Boniface, but on Boniface’s martyrdom he became his successor as Bishop of Salzburg in 766 or 767. He is remembered as Apostle of the Slovenes; he also had a keen interest in mathematics and astronomy.
Other saints: The Holy Crucifix of the Cathedral of Goa
Goa & Daman
This feast is linked to a miraculous event involving the famous Crucifix of the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Goa (Sé Cathedral). According to tradition, in the year 1619, a farmer was praying in the cathedral when he witnessed the miraculous movement of the eyes of the crucified Christ on the cross. This event is believed to have occurred on November 27, and it inspired widespread devotion to the crucifix.
The crucifix was venerated as a symbol of Christ’s love and suffering, and the Archdiocese began to commemorate this miracle annually as a memorial. The devotion also highlights the significance of the crucifix as a central symbol of the Catholic faith, reminding the faithful of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice.
This day is marked with special prayers and Masses, drawing pilgrims and the faithful to venerate the Holy Crucifix in thanksgiving for the miracle and as an expression of their faith.
Gospel: Luke 21:20-28 There will be signs in sun and moon and stars
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfil all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
'And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’
Reflection on the Mosaics
The Gospel readings at this time of year can feel rather sombre, at least on first hearing. We are approaching the final days of the Church’s liturgical calendar, with the new year beginning this Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent. As the Church year draws to a close, the Gospel passages reflect on dramatic endings: the destruction of Jerusalem and even the end of the cosmos as we know it.
However, alongside these endings, Jesus speaks of comings, particularly his own Second Coming as the glorious Son of Man, bringing liberation to those who await him. Just as it seems that everything is falling apart, a new reality begins to emerge. The final chapter will not be one of destruction but of renewal and liberation for all.
There is a striking cosmological dimension in our Gospel reading, as Jesus refers to the sun, moon, and stars, highlighting the upheaval of the natural order. These celestial signs symbolise cosmic disturbances that accompany the Second Coming of the Son of Man. It reflects the profound interconnectedness between earthly events and the heavens. Our early 13th century mosaic illustrates Day 4 of Creation, when the sun, moon and stars were created. It features in San Marco, Venice. Note how the artist has given a human face to the sun and moon, which is very sweet.
Created during Venice’s height as a powerful maritime republic, these mosaics cover vast areas of the basilica’s interior. The artists who installed the early 13th-century mosaics in the Basilica of San Marco in Venice were a combination of Byzantine-train
Day 4 of Creation,
The Creation of Sun, Moon and stars
San Marco, Venice, between 1215-1235
narthex, mosaic tesserae
© Christian Art
Thursday of week 34 in Ordinary Time
Come before the Lord, singing with joy.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: Green.
Other saints: Saint Fergal (c.700 - 784)
Ireland, Dunkeld: 27 Nov
Aberdeen: 18 Nov
Fergal (Ferghil, Vergil, Virgil) was an Irish monk, possibly educated at Clonbroney under St Samthann and going on to become Abbot of Aghaboe. Like many Irish monks of the time, he set off on his ‘pilgrimage of the love of Christ’, in 723. He passed through France and southern Germany. He was invited to Bavaria by Duke Odilo and founded the monastery of Chiemsee. Eventually he became Abbot of St Peter’s at Salzburg. He engaged in controversy with St Boniface, but on Boniface’s martyrdom he became his successor as Bishop of Salzburg in 766 or 767. He is remembered as Apostle of the Slovenes; he also had a keen interest in mathematics and astronomy.
Other saints: The Holy Crucifix of the Cathedral of Goa
Goa & Daman
This feast is linked to a miraculous event involving the famous Crucifix of the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Goa (Sé Cathedral). According to tradition, in the year 1619, a farmer was praying in the cathedral when he witnessed the miraculous movement of the eyes of the crucified Christ on the cross. This event is believed to have occurred on November 27, and it inspired widespread devotion to the crucifix.
The crucifix was venerated as a symbol of Christ’s love and suffering, and the Archdiocese began to commemorate this miracle annually as a memorial. The devotion also highlights the significance of the crucifix as a central symbol of the Catholic faith, reminding the faithful of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice.
This day is marked with special prayers and Masses, drawing pilgrims and the faithful to venerate the Holy Crucifix in thanksgiving for the miracle and as an expression of their faith.
Gospel: Luke 21:20-28 There will be signs in sun and moon and stars
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfil all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
'And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’
Reflection on the Mosaics
The Gospel readings at this time of year can feel rather sombre, at least on first hearing. We are approaching the final days of the Church’s liturgical calendar, with the new year beginning this Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent. As the Church year draws to a close, the Gospel passages reflect on dramatic endings: the destruction of Jerusalem and even the end of the cosmos as we know it.
However, alongside these endings, Jesus speaks of comings, particularly his own Second Coming as the glorious Son of Man, bringing liberation to those who await him. Just as it seems that everything is falling apart, a new reality begins to emerge. The final chapter will not be one of destruction but of renewal and liberation for all.
There is a striking cosmological dimension in our Gospel reading, as Jesus refers to the sun, moon, and stars, highlighting the upheaval of the natural order. These celestial signs symbolise cosmic disturbances that accompany the Second Coming of the Son of Man. It reflects the profound interconnectedness between earthly events and the heavens. Our early 13th century mosaic illustrates Day 4 of Creation, when the sun, moon and stars were created. It features in San Marco, Venice. Note how the artist has given a human face to the sun and moon, which is very sweet.
Created during Venice’s height as a powerful maritime republic, these mosaics cover vast areas of the basilica’s interior. The artists who installed the early 13th-century mosaics in the Basilica of San Marco in Venice were a combination of Byzantine-train
Day 4 of Creation,
The Creation of Sun, Moon and stars
San Marco, Venice, between 1215-1235
narthex, mosaic tesserae
© Christian Art