20251128 SHARING THE FIRST FRUITS OF ULTIMATE VICTORY
28 November 2025, Friday, 34th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Daniel 7:2-14 |
'I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man'
I, Daniel, have been seeing visions in the night. I saw that the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea; four great beasts emerged from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings; and as I looked its wings were torn off, and it was lifted from the ground and set standing on its feet like a man; and it was given a human heart. The second beast I saw was different, like a bear, raised up on one of its sides, with three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth. “Up!” came the command “Eat quantities of flesh!” After this I looked, and saw another beast, like a leopard, and with four bird’s wings on its flanks; it had four heads, and power was given to it. Next I saw another vision in the visions of the night: I saw a fourth beast, fearful, terrifying, very strong; it had great iron teeth, and it ate, crushed and trampled underfoot what remained. It was different from the previous beasts and had ten horns.
While I was looking at these horns, I saw another horn sprouting among them, a little one; three of the original horns were pulled out by the roots to make way for it; and in this horn I saw eyes like human eyes, and a mouth that was full of boasts. As I watched:
Thrones were set in place
and one of great age took his seat.
His robe was white as snow,
the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames,
its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out,
issuing from his presence.
A thousand thousand waited on him,
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A court was held
and the books were opened.
The great things the horn was saying were still ringing in my ears, and as I watched, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and committed to the flames. The other beasts were deprived of their power, but received a lease of life for a season and a time.
I gazed into the visions of the night.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.
Responsorial Psalm | Daniel 3:75-81 |
Mountains and hills! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Every thing that grows on the earth! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Springs of water! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Seas and rivers! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Sea beasts and everything that lives in water! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Birds of heaven! all bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Animals wild and tame! all bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Gospel Acclamation | Lk21:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stand erect, hold your heads high,
because your liberation is near at hand.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 21:29-33 |
My words will never pass away
Jesus told his disciples a parable: ‘Think of the fig tree and indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer is now near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.’
SHARING THE FIRST FRUITS OF ULTIMATE VICTORY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Dan 6:12-28; Dan 3:68-74; Lk 21:20-28]
What is becoming of the world? What is the future of this world? Will evil triumph over good? Looking at current trends, we might think that the world could be coming to an end, with the institutions of marriage and family being destroyed, the rise of terrorism, and ongoing wars across the globe. With the rise of secularism that is hostile to religion, particularly to Christianity, and a moral relativism that can no longer distinguish right from wrong or truth from falsehood, humanity seems to be descending into decadence as people live only for the present — seeking pleasure and enjoyment rather than the future of humanity and the preservation of lasting values such as honesty, justice, peace, love, and self-sacrifice.
The answer to such apprehensions and fears is that even while living in this troubled and fragile world, victory is certain. In the first reading, we hear how bad and evil the situation already was in the time of the Israelites before the coming of Christ. The Book of Daniel speaks of the four beasts that terrorised the world in those days. The first beast refers to the Kingdom of Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar, as Babylon was represented by a lion, a symbol of royal power. The second beast, a bear, represents the Kingdom of Media when King Darius swiftly conquered Babylon. The third beast, the leopard, represents Cyrus, the King of Persia. Finally, the last beast depicts the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great. Upon his death, the empire was divided among his four generals. Among them, King Antiochus Epiphanes IV was the most vicious. He plundered the Temple and began persecuting the Jews. This period was one of the worst in Israel’s history.
Yet, regardless of how evil and disastrous the situation was, God was with the Israelites. They survived crisis after crisis. The prophet assures us that ultimately God will triumph. Written during the time of the Maccabees, he prophesied the end of the persecution under Antiochus. Indeed, let us never forget that the powers of this world are only temporary, as the prophet Daniel said: “The other beasts were deprived of their power, but received a lease of life for a season and a time.” No evil can triumph over good. Let us not be too proud like the kings before us — those who thought themselves mighty, strong, and invincible. Even Alexander the Great succumbed to illness and suffered a painful and untimely death. As for Antiochus, the evil king, he too died a miserable death. Therefore, let us not be proud, arrogant, or overly confident in our achievements and status. No matter who we are or what we have accomplished, we will face judgment at death. Power, glory, and wealth cannot be ours for long. We will eventually have to let them go; otherwise, they will be taken away from us–by enemies, competitors, or simply by our own mortality.
Indeed, Daniel’s vision of the Son of Man, distinct from God, anticipates the coming of the Messiah who would establish the Kingdom of God. Jesus is the fulfilment of that vision when Daniel said, “I gazed into the visions of the night, and I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man. He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence. On him was conferred sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.”
Jesus accomplished this, in principle, through His death and resurrection. By His coming into the world and His battle against the kingdom of darkness, Jesus–who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life — proclaimed the path to the Kingdom. Through His life of selfless and humble service, He overcame hatred with love and forgiveness. Through His death, He conquered the fear of death forever. Through His resurrection, He shows us that this life is not the ultimate goal, for we are all destined for the fullness of life with God.
Jesus is indeed the budding of the Kingdom, as the Gospel says: “Think of the fig tree and indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer is now near.” Fig trees bear fruit twice a year, so when they are budding, we know what season approaches. Similarly, we already have the first fruits of victory in Christ. We have the first instalment of the Spirit as a pledge of eternal life. Through the life of Jesus, His works, and especially His death and resurrection, the future is already made clear to us. We are certain of our future because Christ is the future of humanity. We can cling to His promises because Christ is the Son of God, the Universal King. Indeed, Christ says: “I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away, all will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Everything Christ has taught is true, and we must hold on to His words as we await the fulfilment of His promises.
In the meantime, we must continue to work out our salvation. We must obey the Word of God and all that Jesus taught us. Only by living according to the Spirit can we be spared from destruction. We also have before us another set of signs. In countries that have given up faith in God and become secularised, people often lose meaning and purpose. If we follow the path of secularism seen in the West, we too will head toward annihilation. Once such a current takes hold, it may be too late to restrain the tide.
Therefore, while we still have our Catholic faith and values — while our people still have some faith in God and our young remain receptive to Christ — we must do all we can to stir up their faith. It is important that we do not take our faith for granted. We must strengthen the faith of Catholics, especially the young. Otherwise, tomorrow’s leaders will be misled and influenced by secularism, relativism, and consumerism. This will eventually lead to the destruction of society, for it becomes utilitarian and epicurean. Let us not be complacent in our faith. We must proactively deepen it so that our children grow up with the right values in life. We must be their models and mentors. They need to see the fruits of faith in our lives if they are to be convinced that Christ is their Lord and Saviour.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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