About Today
Saturday 29 November 2025
Saturday of week 34 in Ordinary Time or Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Let us listen for the voice of the Lord and enter into his peace.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: Green.
Saturday memorials of the Blessed Virgin Mary
‘On Saturdays in Ordinary Time when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary is allowed.
‘Saturdays stand out among those days dedicated to the Virgin Mary. These are designated as memorials of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This memorial derives from Carolingian times (9th century), but the reasons for having chosen Saturday for its observance are unknown. While many explanations of this choice have been advanced, none is completely satisfactory from the point of view of the history of popular piety.
‘Whatever its historical origins may be, today the memorial rightly emphasizes certain values to which contemporary spirituality is more sensitive. It is a remembrance of the maternal example and discipleship of the Blessed Virgin Mary who, strengthened by faith and hope, on that “great Saturday” on which Our Lord lay in the tomb, was the only one of the disciples to hold vigil in expectation of the Lord’s resurrection. It is a prelude and introduction to the celebration of Sunday, the weekly memorial of the Resurrection of Christ. It is a sign that the Virgin Mary is continuously present and operative in the life of the Church.’
Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (2001), §188
Other saints: Blessed Bernard Francis de Hoyos (1711-1735)
29 Nov (where celebrated)
Other saints: Bls Denis and Redemptus (d. 1638)
29 Nov (where celebrated)
A sword will pierce through your own soul also
Gospel: Luke 2:27-35
At that time: Simeon came in the Spirit into the Temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.’
And his father and his mother marvelled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed — and a sword will pierce through your own soul also — so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.’
Reflection on the illuminated manuscript page
We suffer deeply when those we love are in pain. Parents feel helpless when their children are sick, and children are pained to see their parents suffer. Love binds us so closely that another’s pain becomes our own.
In today’s Gospel, Simeon speaks of this shared suffering when he tells Mary that “a sword will pierce your own soul too.” The sorrows of Mary and the sufferings of Jesus are inseparable: two hearts beating as one through pain, faith, and love. Mary’s closeness to Jesus meant that his cross became her own.
Perhaps nowhere is this more vividly expressed than in the devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary. This devotion began to take shape toward the end of the 11th century, especially in regions around the Mediterranean, as Christians sought to contemplate the depth of Mary’s life. A decisive moment came in 1233, when seven young men of Tuscany founded the Servite Order — the Order of the Servants of Mary. A few years later, in 1239, they embraced Mary’s sorrows at the foot of the Cross as the heart of their spiritual life. Tradition tells us that Mary appeared to them, presenting the black garment of mourning they would wear, and inviting them to meditate often on her Seven Sorrows. Through the Servites’ preaching and witness, this devotion spread widely across the Church, helping countless Christians see Mary not only as Mother of God, but as Mother of Sorrows, who stands with us whenever our own hearts are pierced.
Our Flemish Illuminated manuscript page illustrates the Seven Sorrows of Marybeautifully. At the centre of the miniature, the Virgin is shown seated on the ground, her heart pierced by seven swords. Each sword represents a moment when her life was irrevocably bound to the suffering of her Son. It is an image designed not merely to be admired, but to draw the viewer gently into Mary’s inner world. Each sword point to an illustration of a sorrow. Moving clockwise from the bottom right, we encounter the seven sorrows in order: the Presentation in the Temple, the Flight into Egypt, the Loss of the Boy Jesus in the Temple, the Way to Calvary, the Crucifixion, the Lamentation, and finally the Entombment. Each vignette is a window into a moment when Mary’s heart was pierced anew. Together they form a circle of contemplation, inviting us to meditate with her on the love that endured every sorrow.
The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin, page from the Prayer Book of Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg,
Illumination by Simon Bening (Flemish, about 1483 - 1561),
Painted circa 1525–1530,
Tempera, gold paint, and gold leaf on vellum
© Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Saturday of week 34 in Ordinary Time or Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Let us listen for the voice of the Lord and enter into his peace.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: Green.
Saturday memorials of the Blessed Virgin Mary
‘On Saturdays in Ordinary Time when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary is allowed.
‘Saturdays stand out among those days dedicated to the Virgin Mary. These are designated as memorials of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This memorial derives from Carolingian times (9th century), but the reasons for having chosen Saturday for its observance are unknown. While many explanations of this choice have been advanced, none is completely satisfactory from the point of view of the history of popular piety.
‘Whatever its historical origins may be, today the memorial rightly emphasizes certain values to which contemporary spirituality is more sensitive. It is a remembrance of the maternal example and discipleship of the Blessed Virgin Mary who, strengthened by faith and hope, on that “great Saturday” on which Our Lord lay in the tomb, was the only one of the disciples to hold vigil in expectation of the Lord’s resurrection. It is a prelude and introduction to the celebration of Sunday, the weekly memorial of the Resurrection of Christ. It is a sign that the Virgin Mary is continuously present and operative in the life of the Church.’
Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (2001), §188
Other saints: Blessed Bernard Francis de Hoyos (1711-1735)
29 Nov (where celebrated)
Other saints: Bls Denis and Redemptus (d. 1638)
29 Nov (where celebrated)
A sword will pierce through your own soul also
Gospel: Luke 2:27-35
At that time: Simeon came in the Spirit into the Temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.’
And his father and his mother marvelled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed — and a sword will pierce through your own soul also — so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.’
Reflection on the illuminated manuscript page
We suffer deeply when those we love are in pain. Parents feel helpless when their children are sick, and children are pained to see their parents suffer. Love binds us so closely that another’s pain becomes our own.
In today’s Gospel, Simeon speaks of this shared suffering when he tells Mary that “a sword will pierce your own soul too.” The sorrows of Mary and the sufferings of Jesus are inseparable: two hearts beating as one through pain, faith, and love. Mary’s closeness to Jesus meant that his cross became her own.
Perhaps nowhere is this more vividly expressed than in the devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary. This devotion began to take shape toward the end of the 11th century, especially in regions around the Mediterranean, as Christians sought to contemplate the depth of Mary’s life. A decisive moment came in 1233, when seven young men of Tuscany founded the Servite Order — the Order of the Servants of Mary. A few years later, in 1239, they embraced Mary’s sorrows at the foot of the Cross as the heart of their spiritual life. Tradition tells us that Mary appeared to them, presenting the black garment of mourning they would wear, and inviting them to meditate often on her Seven Sorrows. Through the Servites’ preaching and witness, this devotion spread widely across the Church, helping countless Christians see Mary not only as Mother of God, but as Mother of Sorrows, who stands with us whenever our own hearts are pierced.
Our Flemish Illuminated manuscript page illustrates the Seven Sorrows of Marybeautifully. At the centre of the miniature, the Virgin is shown seated on the ground, her heart pierced by seven swords. Each sword represents a moment when her life was irrevocably bound to the suffering of her Son. It is an image designed not merely to be admired, but to draw the viewer gently into Mary’s inner world. Each sword point to an illustration of a sorrow. Moving clockwise from the bottom right, we encounter the seven sorrows in order: the Presentation in the Temple, the Flight into Egypt, the Loss of the Boy Jesus in the Temple, the Way to Calvary, the Crucifixion, the Lamentation, and finally the Entombment. Each vignette is a window into a moment when Mary’s heart was pierced anew. Together they form a circle of contemplation, inviting us to meditate with her on the love that endured every sorrow.
The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin, page from the Prayer Book of Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg,
Illumination by Simon Bening (Flemish, about 1483 - 1561),
Painted circa 1525–1530,
Tempera, gold paint, and gold leaf on vellum
© Getty Museum, Los Angeles