Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 21
29.	And he spoke to them in a similitude. See the fig tree, and all the trees:	Et dixit illis similitudinem : Videte ficulneam, et omnes arbores :	και ειπεν παραβολην αυτοις ιδετε την συκην και παντα τα δενδρα
30.	When they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh;	cum producunt jam ex se fructum, scitis quoniam prope est æstas.	οταν προβαλωσιν ηδη βλεποντες αφ εαυτων γινωσκετε οτι ηδη εγγυς το θερος εστιν
31.	So you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand.	Ita et vos cum videritis hæc fieri, scitote quoniam prope est regnum Dei.	ουτως και υμεις οταν ιδητε ταυτα γινομενα γινωσκετε οτι εγγυς εστιν η βασιλεια του θεου
32.	Amen, I say to you, this generation shall not pass away, till all things be fulfilled.	Amen dico vobis, quia non præteribit generatio hæc, donec omnia fiant.	αμην λεγω υμιν οτι ου μη παρελθη η γενεα αυτη εως αν παντα γενηται
33.	Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.	Cælum et terra transibunt : verba autem mea non transibunt.	ο ουρανος και η γη παρελευσονται οι δε λογοι μου ου μη παρελθωσιν

29. And he spoke to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
30. When they now shoot forth, you see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
31. So likewise you, when you see these things come to pass, know you that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
32. Verily I say to you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
33. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

GREG. That the world ought to be trampled upon and despised, He proves by a wise comparison, adding, Behold the fig tree and all the trees, when they now put forth fruit, you know that summer is near. As if He says, as from the fruit of the tree the summer is perceived to be near, so from the fall of the world the kingdom of God is known to be at hand. Hereby is it manifested that the world's fall is our fruit. For hereunto it puts forth buds, that whomever it has fostered in the bud it may consume in slaughter. But well is the kingdom of God compared to summer; for then the clouds of our sorrow flee away, and the days of life brighten up under the clear light of the Eternal Sun.

AMBROSE; Matthew speaks of the fig-tree only, Luke of all the trees. But the fig-tree shadows forth two things, either the ripening of what is hard, or the luxuriance of sin; that is, either that, when the fruit bursts forth in all trees and the fruitful fig-tree abounds, (that is, when every tongue confesses God, even the Jewish people confessing Him,) we ought to hope for our Lord's coming, in which shall be gathered in as at summer the fruits of the resurrection. Or, when the man of sin shall clothe himself in his light and fickle boasting as it were the leaves of the synagogue, we must then suppose the judgment to be drawing near. For the Lord hastens to reward faith, and to bring an end of sinning.

AUG. But when He says, When you shall see these things to come to pass, what can we understand but those things which were mentioned above. But among them we read, And then shall they see the Son of man coming. When therefore this is seen, the kingdom of God is not yet, but nigh at hand. Or must we say that we are not to understand all the things before mentioned, when He says, When you shall see these things, &c. but only some of them; this for example being excepted, And then shall they see the Son of man. But Matthew would plainly have it taken with no exception, for he says, And so you, when you see all these things, among which is the seeing the coming of the Son of man; in order that it may be understood of that coming whereby He now comes in His members as in clouds, or in the Church as in a great cloud.

TIT. BOST. Or else, He says, the kingdom of God is at hand, meaning that when these things shall be not yet shall all things come to their last end, but they shall be already tending towards it. For the very coming of our Lord itself, casting out every principality and power, is the preparation for the kingdom of God.

EUSEB. For as in this life, when winter dies away, and spring succeeds, the sun sending forth its warm rays cherishes and quickens the seeds hid in the ground, just laying aside their first form, and the young plants sprout forth, having put on different shades of green; so also the glorious coming of the Only-begotten of God, illuminating the new world with His quickening rays shall bring forth into light from more excellent bodies than before the seeds that have long been hidden in the whole world, i.e. those who sleep in the dust of the earth. And having vanquished death, He shall reign from henceforth the life of the new world.

GREG. But all the things before mentioned are confirmed with greet certainly, when He adds, Verily I say to you, &c.

BEDE; He strongly commends that which he thus foretell. And, if one may so speak, his oath is this, Amen, I say to you. Amen is by interpretation "true." Therefore the truth says, I tell you the truth, and though He spoke not thus, He could by no means lie. But by generation he means either the whole human race, or especially the Jews.

EUSEB. Or by generation He means the new generation of His holy Church, showing that the generation of the faithful would last up to that time, when it would see all things, and embrace with its eyes the fulfillment of our Savior's words.

THEOPHYL. For because He had foretold that there should be commotions, and wars and changes, both of the elements and in other things, lest any one might suspect that Christianity itself also would perish, He adds, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away: as if He said, Though all things should be shaken, yet shall my faith fail not. Whereby He implies that He sets the Church before the whole creation. The creation shall suffer change, but the Church of the faithful and the words of the Gospel shall abide for ever.

GREG. Or else, The heaven and, earth shall pass away, &c. As if He says, All that with us seems lasting, does not abide to eternity without change, and all that with Me seems to pass away is held fixed and immovable, for My word which passes away utters sentences which remain unchangeable, and abide for ever.

BEDE; But by the heaven which shall pass away we must understand not the ethereal or the starry heaven, but the air from which the birds are named "of heaven." But if the earth shall pass away, how does Ecclesiastes say, The earth stands for ever? Plainly then the heaven and earth in the fashion which they now have shall pass away, but in essence subsist eternally.

Catena Aurea Luke 21

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr
Optional Memorial
November 25th

Fernando Yáñez de la Almedina
Saint Catherine (detail)
1505 - 1510
Museo del Prado, Madrid

Prayer:
Glorious Saint Catherine, virgin and martyr,
help me to imitate your love of purity.
Give me strength and courage
in fighting off the temptations of the world and evil desires.
Help me to love God with my whole heart
and serve Him faithfully.
O Saint Catherine,
through your glorious martyrdom for the love of Christ,
help me to be loyal to my faith and my God
as long as I live.

Patron saint of young women, millers, philosophers, preachers, spinners, students and wheelwrights.
In fourth century Alexandria, there lived a Christian noblewoman and philosopher of great beauty named Catherine. When she heard that the Roman emperor Maxentius was persecuting Christians, Catherine publicly protested. Astounded by her audacity, Maxentius sent fifty famous philosophers to try to change her mind, but Catherine, with her clever arguments, converted every one of them to Christianity. Maxentius immediately ordered their execution.
The emperor then tried to persuade Catherine to become his bride. Catherine refused, saying that she was already a bride of Christ. This answer drove Maxentius into a fury, and he commanded that she be tortured on the infamous spiked wheel (later called the "Catherine wheel"). But angels are said to have thrown bolts of lightning so that the wheel broke and the spikes flew off, injuring onlookers but leaving Catherine unharmed. When she was eventually beheaded, milk, not blood, flowed from her neck, and angels carried her body up to Mount Sinai.
(Source: Carol Armstrong. Lives and Legends of the Saints. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.)

St. Catherine Hearts
Les Coeurs de Sainte Catherine

In northern France, there is an old custom, on St Catherine's Day heart-shaped cakes are given to young women who have reached age twenty-five and are not married to encourage them in their search for love.

You need a 1-quart heart shaped pan for this.
Butter or shortening for greasing the pan
7 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup mixed candied fruit
1/2 orange extract
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
3 tablespoons water
Optional: Confectioner's sugar

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Butter and flour the baking pan.
Cream the butter. Gradually add the sugar, mixing well; beat in the eggs, one at a time. Resift the flour with the baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Stir the flour into the butter mixture. Stir in the fruits, orange extract, and orange rind, and the water. Mix thoroughly. Pour the batter into the baking pan.
Bake for 20 minutes, then raise the heat to 425°F and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until a straw inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the pan when cool.
Optional: sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

Yield: 1 cake

from A Continual Feast by Evelyn Birge Vitz, originally published by Harper & Row in 1995, now available in paperback from Ignatius Press.

Collect:
Almighty ever-lasting God,
who gave Saint Catherine of Alexandria to your people
as a Virgin and an invincible Martyr,
grant that through her intercession
we may be strengthened in faith and constancy
and spend ourselves without reserve
for the unity of the Church.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever. +Amen

First Reading: Revelation 21:5-7
And He who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Also He said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 10:28-33
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So every one who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Catherine of Alexandria

Feast Day: November 25
Born: (around) 285 :: Died: 305

Catherine lived in early Christian times and was the daughter of a wealthy pagan couple of Alexandria, Egypt. She was a very beautiful girl whose great interest was in learning. Catherine was very good at science and public speaking.

She loved to study deep questions of philosophy and religion. She began to read about Christianity. Then one day she received a vision and decided to become a Christian.

St. Catherine was only eighteen when Emperor Maxentius began making the Christians suffer. Without fear, lovely young Catherine told him that he was being very cruel and would be punished by God.

When he spoke of the pagan gods, she very plainly showed him that they were false. Maxentius could not answer her arguments, so he sent for fifty of his best pagan philosophers.

Once again, Catherine proved the truth of her religion. All fifty philosophers were convinced that she was right and decided to become Christians. In great anger, Maxentius had every one of them killed.

Then, he tried to win her by offering her a queen's crown. When Catherine refused the crown, he had her beaten and thrown into prison.

While Maxentius was away at camp, his wife and an officer were very curious to hear this amazing Christian girl speak and went to her prison cell. All who heard her knew she spoke the truth and as a result they and two hundred soldiers of the guard were converted and became Christians.

When Maxentius found out, they were all put to death. Then he ordered Catherine to be placed on a wheel full of spikes to be tortured to death. When the wheel began to spin, it suddenly snapped in two and broke.

Finally, St. Catherine was beheaded. She has always been the patroness of Christian philosophers.

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: November 25th

Optional Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr

MASS READINGS

November 25, 2016 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Almighty ever-living God, who gave Saint Catherine of Alexandria to your people as a Virgin and an invincible Martyr, grant that through her intercession we may be strengthened in faith and constancy and spend ourselves without reserve for the unity of the Church. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son. who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Recipes (3)

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Activities (5)

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Prayers (6)

November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory
Little Litany of the Holy Souls
Litany of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
Prayer for a Happy Death
Daily Acceptance of Death
Novena to St. Francis Xavier - The Novena of Grace
Old Calendar: St. Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr ; Other Titles: St. Katherine
From time immemorial St. Catherine had been venerated at the monastery on Mount Sinai when, in the fifteenth century, the monks discovered her body. Legend has made of her a young Christian of Alexandria who rejected the advances of the Emperor Maximinus and routed a meeting of learned men gathered together to induce her to deny Christ. This feast was restored to the calendar in 2002.

St. Catherine of Alexandria
The account of her martyrdom is legendary and defies every attempt to cull out the historical kernel. Old Oriental sources make no mention of her. In the West her cult does not appear before the eleventh century, when the crusaders made it popular. She became the patroness of philosophical faculties; she is one of the "Fourteen Holy Helpers." The breviary offers the following:
Catherine, virgin of Alexandria, devoted herself to the pursuit of knowledge; at the age of eighteen, she surpassed all her contemporaries in science. Upon seeing how the Christians were being tortured, she went before Emperor Maximin (311-313), upbraided him for his cruelty, and with convincing reasons demonstrated the need of Christian faith in order to be saved. Astounded by her wisdom, the Emperor ordered her to be kept confined, and having summoned the most learned philosophers, promised them magnificent rewards if they could confound the virgin and turn her from belief in Christ. Far from being successful, a considerable number of the philosophers were inflamed by the sound reasons and persuasiveness of Catherine's speech with such a love for Jesus Christ that they declared themselves willing to offer their lives for the Gospel.
Then the Emperor attempted to win her by flattery and by promises, but his efforts proved equally fruitless. He ordered her whipped with rods, scourged with leaden nodules, and then left to languish eleven days without food in prison. The Emperor's wife and Porphyrius, general of the army, visited Catherine in prison; her words brought both to Christ and later they too proved their love in blood. Catherine's next torture consisted of being placed upon a wheel with sharp and pointed knives; from her lacerated body prayers ascended to heaven and the infernal machine fell to pieces. Many who witnessed the miracle embraced the faith. Finally, on November 25 Christ's servant was beheaded (307 or 312). By the hands of angels her body was carried to Mt. Sinai, where it was interred in the convent which bears her name.
Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.
Patron: Apologists; craftsmen who work with a wheel (potters; spinners; etc.); archivists; attorneys; barristers; dying people; educators; girls; jurists; knife grinders; knife sharpeners; lawyers; librarians; libraries; maidens; mechanics; millers; nurses; old maids; philosophers; potters; preachers; scholars; schoolchildren; scribes; secretaries; spinners; spinsters; stenographers; students; tanners; teachers; theologians; turners; unmarried girls; wheelwrights.
Symbols: Wheel set with sharp knives; broken wheel; sword; crown at her feet; hailstones; bridal veil and ring; dove; scourge; book; spiked wheel; woman strapped to the spiked wheel on which she was martyred; woman arguing with pagan philosophers.
Things to Do:
- St. Catherine was invoked by young girls seeking husbands. If you have children, you could use this feast to discuss the qualities of a good spouse. You could bake St. Catherine's wigs and have your discussion as part of the fun (a spoon full of sugar).
- Read more about St. Catherine.
- St. Catherine's remains are in St. Katherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai. The Monastery, a 1,600-year old fortress at the base of Mt. Sinai, is inhabited by Coptic monks (not in union with Rome). Inside the chapel is believed to be the Burning Bush, through which God first appeared to Moses. Read more about the history of the Church of Alexandria and the Council of Chalcedon where the Coptic Church broke from the bark of Peter and pray for the reunion of all Eastern Churches under the Pope.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Revelation 20:1-4, 11–21:2

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (Optional Memorial)

I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)

When we think of preparing for a wedding, we normally think about the dress, the banquet hall, the food, and the music. But the truly remarkable—and demanding—part of wedding preparation is watching a man and woman grow together into a couple. As they prepare for married life, they slowly detach from their old lives and enter a new life, where two people “become one” (Genesis 2:24). This letting go can be difficult at times, but the joy of getting married makes it worthwhile.

It may seem odd that the Book of Revelation uses wedding imagery when talking about the end-time. At first glance, all the destruction described in the beginning of this reading seems at odds with the image of a bride preparing to meet her husband. Yet this wedding analogy is used so often that it’s pretty clear that God doesn’t want us to focus on the destruction, but on his return. He wants us to prepare as joyfully as a bride getting ready for her wedding.

Just as the bride and groom gladly give up their independence to become one, God wants us to joyfully detach from the sinful distractions of life in this world so that we can be united with him. He doesn’t want us to get caught up in what we’re leaving behind; he wants us to look forward to what’s ahead.

Here’s one way you can get ready for Jesus’ return.

A bride and groom wear special wedding garments. Similarly, we have “ordinary clothes” that wouldn’t be appropriate for a wedding. These are old habits or ways of thinking that may be sinful, or they may just be focused on passing concerns. If we want to wear our proper wedding garment, one woven of holiness and love for God, we’ll need to “remove” the garments of bitterness or greed or self-centeredness. This takes time, of course, and Jesus is infinitely patient. But it’s a detachment we need to be making gradually. Remember, a new life is waiting for you: an eternity of being united with the Lord.

“Jesus, help me let go of any fear or worldly attachments as I joyfully prepare for your heavenly wedding banquet.”

Psalm 84:3-6, 8
Luke 21:29-33

Regnum Christi

November 25, 2016 – The Kingdom Is Near

25 Nov 2016

Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Father Edward Hopkins, LC

Luke 21:29-33

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.”

Introductory Prayer: Dear Jesus, I believe in you and in the Kingdom you are building in and through me. I believe in the value of my sacrifice and struggles united to yours. I hope to arrive to heaven when you say it is time. I wish to spend myself for those I should love the most.

Petition: Thy Kingdom come, both now and forever!

1. See for Yourselves: In today’s Gospel, Jesus is responding to the disciples’ anxious plea for a “when” and a “with what warning” the end will come (Luke 21:7). He tells them some signs that will precede the imminent fall of Jerusalem as well as the coming of the Son of Man “on the clouds.” But these will all be very apparent, like the coming of summer. So don’t be obsessed with figuring out the “when.” Focus on living and knowing the Kingdom of God now. How easily we are distracted with all that happens around us, yet how difficult it is to be aware of the Kingdom and its demands in my heart and my relations to others in my life! What efforts do I make to discover and to know the present demands of his Kingdom in my life?

2. The Kingdom of God Will Come: Jesus has used many images to describe the Kingdom of God. Like the mustard seed, it is hard to recognize at first. It begins small and grows slowly. But it will come, and this must be our daily prayer of desire: “Thy Kingdom Come!” We must resist a very real temptation. Almost unconsciously we want it to be a worldly Kingdom that will come during our lifetime. We work and pray as though we will soon arrive at our goals and rest from all our spiritual labors. This leads us to get easily discouraged at our lack of progress in prayer and virtue, no less than with the problems that surround us. No, we must live with hope, pushing forward with growing confidence that the Lord will bring his Kingdom to fulfillment, both in us and in the world – when the time is right. Whose kingdom am I seeking?

3. My Words Will Not Pass Away: Another temptation in awaiting the Kingdom is to despair of the times of trial through which we must pass. But in the words of St. Theresa of Jesus, “all things pass,” only God remains. Nothing we suffer will remain as the Kingdom approaches. And yet all these “trials” are the most valuable and powerful means to bring about the Kingdom in our own souls and in the lives of others, especially in those who wander. Use the tools of the Kingdom: Suffer trials with faith, and respond with a love that gives them an eternal value. May we never lose a moment in which to merit graces and to build the Kingdom that comes. In the end, only what we have done for God and for our brothers and sisters remains.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, give me a greater faith and confidence that every cross and burden, no matter how trivial or small, is a means to love. I want to build your Kingdom with you. Keep me focused on the opportunities and demands of the present moment.

Resolution: I will make one small sacrifice at a meal today for someone I wish I could help more.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 32, Issue 6

<< Friday, November 25, 2016 >>

St. Catherine of Alexandria

Revelation 20:1-4, 11—21:2
View Readings

Psalm 84:3-6, 8

Luke 21:29-33
Similar Reflections

BY THE BOOK

"The book of the living was opened. The dead were judged according to their conduct as recorded on the scrolls." —Revelation 20:12

At the Last Judgment, the Lord is seated on "a large white throne" (Rv 20:11). You are standing before His throne as He opens "the book of the living" (Rv 20:12). You hope the Lord will find your name in this book, for "anyone whose name was not found inscribed in the book of the living was hurled into [the] pool of fire" (Rv 20:15).

As you wait, you remember what the Lord told Moses: "Him only who has sinned against Me will I strike out of My book" (Ex 32:33). You know all your actions are written down in this book (Ps 139:16), and you remember the many times you have sinned. You begin to fear for your eternal soul.

The record of your conduct is now being read from the book. You stand amazed as God recounts all the tears you have shed (Ps 56:9). An entry in the book states that you have trusted and feared Him (Mal 3:16). However, none of your sins have been read to the heavenly assembly. Jesus shows you the pages containing your deeds, and they are covered with huge blots of black ink. He says: "Each time you repented, I blotted out your sins" (see Ps 51:11). Then Jesus says: "Come, share your Master's joy!" (Mt 25:21)

If you repent (Rv 3:3) and live a life worthy of your calling (Eph 4:1; Rv 3:4), Jesus promises: "I will never erase [your] name from the book of the living, but will acknowledge [you] in the presence of My Father and His angels" (Rv 3:5).

Prayer: Jesus, my Savior, help me to repent of every sin, forgive all who have hurt me, and lead others to receive Your mercy.

Promise: "Know that the reign of God is near." —Lk 21:31

Praise: St. Catherine converted at 14. She renounced the possibility of marriage and abandoned her entire life to the divine will to be one with God.

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St. Catherine of Alexandria

Ordinary Time: November 25th

Optional Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr

MASS READINGS

COLLECT PRAYER

Recipes (3)

Activities (5)

Prayers (6)

Meditation: Revelation 20:1-4, 11–21:2

November 25, 2016 – The Kingdom Is Near

Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

One Bread, One Body

BY THE BOOK

Join us in praying for an end to abortion