Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 28, 2025
Jesus told his disciples a parable.
“Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open,
you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;
in the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.
Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.”
My childhood home had a fig tree. In mid to late summer, the delicious figs would ripen on the tree, deepening to a rich purple. It was always a great temptation to take one or two off for a snack, their purple juice staining my hands as clear evidence of a spoiled dinner. But even more than that, the appearance of the figs was a sign of the end of summer and the impending return to school for another year, a natural rhythmic change.
Still later in their life cycle, as the months passed, the figs would fall off the tree completely, their rich purple dye leaving imprints on the walk. This appearance signalled a movement into winter—mild in Southern California compared to frigid South Bend winters, but chillier than summer nonetheless, with shorter days.
Today’s gospel brings me right back to the fig tree’s shifting seasons, especially as we transition out of Ordinary Time and into Advent. Coincidentally, Advent is also a season marked by purple, in preparation for the clearest sign of all—the gift of Jesus’ very self. In his commitment to come to us in the Incarnation and again in the end times, Jesus reassures us that he will never leave us alone.
In the coming weeks, we are invited to consider the “fig trees” of our own lives—the people, places, things, and memories that serve as evidence of the impending kingdom of heaven, of Christ’s in-breaking into our finite human history. In so doing, might we wait with hope and expectancy for the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ, the sign that “never passes away.”
Prayer
Lord, help us to recognize your presence in a church or chapel, even a private room, where we can sit or kneel and quietly reflect on your goodness and mercy toward us. Help us to know the richness of prayer offered from the heart. Grant us courage in the face of difficulties, faith in the presence of doubt and uncertainty, and confidence in your strengthening grace. Let us not miss these gifts by indifference and merely routine words. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Catherine Laboure is famous for spreading devotion to Jesus and Mary—especially through their sacred hearts—by a medal that was revealed to her in a vision.
Zoe Laboure was born in 1806 to a farm family in Burgundy, France. She was ninth of eleven children and at the age of nine, her mother died and she and a younger sister were sent to live with an aunt. Later, when other siblings left the household (some for religious life) she was forced to return to care for the household.
She never learned to read or write, and later worked as a waitress in her uncle’s café in Paris. She visited a hospital run by the Sisters of Charity, and felt a tangible call to work with the sick. She eventually joined the order, taking the name Catherine.
When she was a novice in the community, Mary appeared to Catherine three times. In one of her visions, Mary showed Catherine a medal to be worn around the neck. The medal depicts Mary as the Immaculate Conception, and has become known as the “Miraculous Medal.” On one side is an image of Mary with the words, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” On the other side is a depiction of the sacred hearts of Jesus and Mary. She told Catherine to have medals made as a source of prayer and grace. Devotion to the Miraculous Medal has since spread worldwide.
Catherine died after many long years as a nun, working in kitchens and gardens and taking care of elderly people in a nursing home. Her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Catherine Laboure, faithful visionary who passed on to us the image of the Miraculous Medal—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Catherine Laboure is in the public domain. Last accessed November 15, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
