About Today
Friday 28 November 2025 Friday of week 34 in Ordinary Time
Indeed, how good is the Lord: bless his holy name.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: Green.
Gospel: Luke 21:29-33 As soon as the trees come out to leaf, you know Summer is near
At that time: Jesus told his disciples a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.’
Reflection on the painting
Paul Signac’s painting offers us a radiant example of Pointillism, that extraordinary technique in which an artist applies tiny, distinct dots of pure colour, side by side, without mixing them on the palette. Seen up close, the surface appears almost abstract: a shimmering mosaic of small points, each independent, each unapologetically itself. But when we step back, the eye performs a little miracle... it blends the dots into a unified, glowing image. Light seems to dance through the colours. The whole scene comes alive.
Here Signac depicts the Pin de Bertaud, an iconic evergreen that stood near the Château Bertaud in Gassin, overlooking the sparkling Gulf of Saint-Tropez. This tree, rooted in its lonely spot in the middle of the old road to Saint-Tropez, became a beloved landmark as early as the 1830s. In Signac’s hands, its branches and the surrounding light of the Provence region are transformed into a symphony of colours, with each dot essential, each contributing to the whole...
And so it is in our own Christian lives. Each small dot, each quiet act of kindness, each moment of patience, each hidden gesture of goodness, may seem insignificant on its own. But when God steps back and looks at the whole canvas of our lives, these small dots blend into something luminous and beautiful.
Yet Jesus reminds us in our Gospel reading that our gaze cannot remain fixed only on our own tree, our own family, our own concerns. We are invited to notice the trees around us as well: the signs of hope in other people’s lives, the quiet budding of grace in our neighbours and friends, and be encouraging to them. As the liturgical year draws to a close, and the nights are getting longer and more darkness surrounds us, we are being asked to be great encouragers in other people's lives.
And so, as we stand just days away from the new liturgical year, we are offered a fresh beginning. God sets a new canvas before us, clean, waiting, full of possibility... another chance to allow every small act, every dot of grace, to build something more colourful, more radiant, more filled with His light.
The Pine Tree at Saint Tropez,
Painted by Paul Signac (1863-1935),
Painted in 1909,
Oil on canvas
© Pushkin Museum, Moscow / Wikimedia Commons
Indeed, how good is the Lord: bless his holy name.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: Green.
Gospel: Luke 21:29-33 As soon as the trees come out to leaf, you know Summer is near
At that time: Jesus told his disciples a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.’
Reflection on the painting
Paul Signac’s painting offers us a radiant example of Pointillism, that extraordinary technique in which an artist applies tiny, distinct dots of pure colour, side by side, without mixing them on the palette. Seen up close, the surface appears almost abstract: a shimmering mosaic of small points, each independent, each unapologetically itself. But when we step back, the eye performs a little miracle... it blends the dots into a unified, glowing image. Light seems to dance through the colours. The whole scene comes alive.
Here Signac depicts the Pin de Bertaud, an iconic evergreen that stood near the Château Bertaud in Gassin, overlooking the sparkling Gulf of Saint-Tropez. This tree, rooted in its lonely spot in the middle of the old road to Saint-Tropez, became a beloved landmark as early as the 1830s. In Signac’s hands, its branches and the surrounding light of the Provence region are transformed into a symphony of colours, with each dot essential, each contributing to the whole...
And so it is in our own Christian lives. Each small dot, each quiet act of kindness, each moment of patience, each hidden gesture of goodness, may seem insignificant on its own. But when God steps back and looks at the whole canvas of our lives, these small dots blend into something luminous and beautiful.
Yet Jesus reminds us in our Gospel reading that our gaze cannot remain fixed only on our own tree, our own family, our own concerns. We are invited to notice the trees around us as well: the signs of hope in other people’s lives, the quiet budding of grace in our neighbours and friends, and be encouraging to them. As the liturgical year draws to a close, and the nights are getting longer and more darkness surrounds us, we are being asked to be great encouragers in other people's lives.
And so, as we stand just days away from the new liturgical year, we are offered a fresh beginning. God sets a new canvas before us, clean, waiting, full of possibility... another chance to allow every small act, every dot of grace, to build something more colourful, more radiant, more filled with His light.
The Pine Tree at Saint Tropez,
Painted by Paul Signac (1863-1935),
Painted in 1909,
Oil on canvas
© Pushkin Museum, Moscow / Wikimedia Commons