Daily Readings - Tue Nov 25 2025
Daniel
3And the king said to them, "I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream."9if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation."10The Chaldeans answered the king and said, "There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.27Daniel answered the king and said, "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked,31"You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening.32The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze,33its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.34As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.35Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.36"This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation.37You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory,38and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all--you are the head of gold.39Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.40And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these.41And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay.42And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.43As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.44And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,45just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure."
Luke
5And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said,6"As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."7And they asked him, "Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?"8And he said, "See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them.9And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once."10Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.11There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of power, the fleeting nature of human achievements, and the ultimate triumph of God’s kingdom. In the first reading from Daniel, we hear the story of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, which Daniel interprets as a vision of the rise and fall of earthly kingdoms. The statue in the dream, made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay, represents the succession of empires, each weaker than the last. The stone that shatters the statue symbolizes God’s kingdom, which will endure forever. Daniel’s interpretation reminds us that all human power is temporary and that God’s plan will ultimately prevail.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, a structure that was the center of Jewish worship and identity. While the disciples marvel at its beauty and grandeur, Jesus warns them that even such an imposing edifice will one day be reduced to rubble. He cautions them against being deceived by false messiahs and against being alarmed by wars, earthquakes, and other signs of turmoil. Jesus is teaching us to look beyond the surface of things, to trust in God’s plan, and to remain steadfast in our faith even when the world around us seems to be falling apart.
Both readings remind us that our ultimate hope is not in the things of this world, which are fragile and impermanent, but in the kingdom of God, which is eternal and unshakable. In our daily lives, we are often tempted to put our trust in wealth, power, or human institutions, but these can fail us. Instead, we are called to build our lives on the rock of faith, to trust in God’s providence, and to remain vigilant in the face of temptation and uncertainty. Let us ask for the grace to keep our eyes fixed on what truly endures, and to live each day with hope and confidence in the triumph of God’s kingdom.