About Today
Wednesday 11 March 2026
Wednesday of the 3rd week of Lent
Christ the Lord was tempted and suffered for us. Come, let us adore him.
Or: O that today you would listen to his voice: harden not your hearts.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 3. Liturgical Colour: Violet
Other saints: Saint Aengus (- 824)
Ireland
He was born near Clonenagh and educated there at the monastic school founded there by St Fintan, not far from the present town of Mountrath. He lived for some time as a hermit and then joined the monastery of Tallaght, near Dublin, under St Maelruain. He was a co-author of a martyrology (written in 790 and the oldest in Ireland) and wrote a long poem, the Féilire, or Festology of the Saints, which he finished in about 805. After St Maelruain’s death he returned to his hermitage, where he died on 11 March 824. See the article in Wikipedia
Other saints: St Constantine (6th century)
Argyll & the Isles
St Constantine has been revered at Govan since time immemorial and there is no reason to doubt that the tradition was based on a real person. But attempts to construct a biography for him have to depend purely on occasional references in chronicles, and there is always the risk of tripping over the problem of “someone else of the same name”. This will happen to all of us eventually: in the year 1,000,000 AD, will anyone be sure of the difference between Thomas More and Thomas Becket, who were both martyred by kings called Henry?
A Constantine was converted to Christianity (Annals of Ulster, 588). A Constantine appears in the Breviary of Aberdeen as entering a monastery in Ireland incognito before joining Saint Mungo (alias Kentigern) and becoming a missionary to the Picts. He is probably the same man. This Constantine was martyred in Scotland about 576 and John of Fordun tells how he was buried at Govan, where his shrine can still be seen today. He is probably not the Saint Constantine of Devon and Cornwall, and certainly not the King Constantine of Dumnonia (south-western Britain) mentioned unfavourably by the chronicler Gildas. The fact that there were separate tribes of Dumnonii in the south-west and in Scotland merely serves to make things even more interesting. But – at the risk of upsetting historians – the only thing that matters to us is that the Constantine we celebrate today has been revered as a saint continuously for a millennium and a half. When all the facts about us are lost, may we also be worthy to be remembered.
Other saints: St Constantine (6th century)
Argyll & the Isles
St Constantine has been revered at Govan since time immemorial and there is no reason to doubt that the tradition was based on a real person. But attempts to construct a biography for him have to depend purely on occasional references in chronicles, and there is always the risk of tripping over the problem of “someone else of the same name”. This will happen to all of us eventually: in the year 1,000,000 AD, will anyone be sure of the difference between Thomas More and Thomas Becket, who were both martyred by kings called Henry?
A Constantine was converted to Christianity (Annals of Ulster, 588). A Constantine appears in the Breviary of Aberdeen as entering a monastery in Ireland incognito before joining Saint Mungo (alias Kentigern) and becoming a missionary to the Picts. He is probably the same man. This Constantine was martyred in Scotland about 576 and John of Fordun tells how he was buried at Govan, where his shrine can still be seen today. He is probably not the Saint Constantine of Devon and Cornwall, and certainly not the King Constantine of Dumnonia (south-western Britain) mentioned unfavourably by the chronicler Gildas. The fact that there were separate tribes of Dumnonii in the south-west and in Scotland merely serves to make things even more interesting. But – at the risk of upsetting historians – the only thing that matters to us is that the Constantine we celebrate today has been revered as a saint continuously for a millennium and a half. When all the facts about us are lost, may we also be worthy to be remembered.
Today's gospel reading
Matthew 5:17-19 I have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.’
Reflection on the painting
When we hear the word 'Law' as in today's reading, we tend to react immediately in a negative way. The 'law of God' sounds as if it is a set of rules that would restrict us, curb our freedom and tell us what to do. That is of course true in the strictest sense, but it is also true that when we try to live according to the truth it holds, that very law creates this huge freedom for us. The law of God doesn't restrict us but sets us free. Think of sports. A football game wouldn't be a proper game if it had no rules or boundaries. The game is enjoyable and beautiful precisely because it has rules!
The commandments of the Old Law, including the Ten Commandments (illustrated here in Philippe de Champaigne's 1648 painting depicting Moses holding the tablets of the Law), are basic commandments to be followed. Jesus doesn't abolish these, but he builds on them. In a way, we could say that these commandments were more 'external' commandments, as they refer almost entirely to external actions towards other people. Christ now expands further on these old laws. But his own commandments (to forgive, to love, to hear, to help the poor…) are more subtle, 'internal' and appeal more to the heart.
Brussels-born artist Philippe de Champaigne enjoyed a 40-year career painting for French aristocracy, including King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu. In this magisterial composition, he depicts Moses presenting the Ten Commandments. Moses’ hand and the stone tablets rest directly on a stone plinth and appear to hang over the edge; they seem so close, as if we could touch them. Champaigne used a technique called trompe-l’oeil, or “fool the eye” in French, to heighten the feeling that Moses is a real person, coming into our space. With dirt beneath his fingernails and wrinkles in his skin, Moses is further portrayed as a real person. The rich blue colour of Moses’ robe, adorned with gold embroidery, is a royal colour. The text on the tablets is in French instead of Latin, which was very unusual for the time this was painted. Moses is also depicted with a rod, symbol of authority, as the tool used by a shepherd to guide his flock. Moses, in fact, initially carried his rod while tending his sheep, and it later became to represent his authority over the Israelites.
Moses Presenting the Tablets of the Law,
Painted by Philippe de Champaigne (1602-1674),
Painted in 1648
Oil on canvas
© Milwaukee Art Museum
Wednesday of the 3rd week of Lent
Christ the Lord was tempted and suffered for us. Come, let us adore him.
Or: O that today you would listen to his voice: harden not your hearts.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 3. Liturgical Colour: Violet
Other saints: Saint Aengus (- 824)
Ireland
He was born near Clonenagh and educated there at the monastic school founded there by St Fintan, not far from the present town of Mountrath. He lived for some time as a hermit and then joined the monastery of Tallaght, near Dublin, under St Maelruain. He was a co-author of a martyrology (written in 790 and the oldest in Ireland) and wrote a long poem, the Féilire, or Festology of the Saints, which he finished in about 805. After St Maelruain’s death he returned to his hermitage, where he died on 11 March 824. See the article in Wikipedia
Other saints: St Constantine (6th century)
Argyll & the Isles
St Constantine has been revered at Govan since time immemorial and there is no reason to doubt that the tradition was based on a real person. But attempts to construct a biography for him have to depend purely on occasional references in chronicles, and there is always the risk of tripping over the problem of “someone else of the same name”. This will happen to all of us eventually: in the year 1,000,000 AD, will anyone be sure of the difference between Thomas More and Thomas Becket, who were both martyred by kings called Henry?
A Constantine was converted to Christianity (Annals of Ulster, 588). A Constantine appears in the Breviary of Aberdeen as entering a monastery in Ireland incognito before joining Saint Mungo (alias Kentigern) and becoming a missionary to the Picts. He is probably the same man. This Constantine was martyred in Scotland about 576 and John of Fordun tells how he was buried at Govan, where his shrine can still be seen today. He is probably not the Saint Constantine of Devon and Cornwall, and certainly not the King Constantine of Dumnonia (south-western Britain) mentioned unfavourably by the chronicler Gildas. The fact that there were separate tribes of Dumnonii in the south-west and in Scotland merely serves to make things even more interesting. But – at the risk of upsetting historians – the only thing that matters to us is that the Constantine we celebrate today has been revered as a saint continuously for a millennium and a half. When all the facts about us are lost, may we also be worthy to be remembered.
Other saints: St Constantine (6th century)
Argyll & the Isles
St Constantine has been revered at Govan since time immemorial and there is no reason to doubt that the tradition was based on a real person. But attempts to construct a biography for him have to depend purely on occasional references in chronicles, and there is always the risk of tripping over the problem of “someone else of the same name”. This will happen to all of us eventually: in the year 1,000,000 AD, will anyone be sure of the difference between Thomas More and Thomas Becket, who were both martyred by kings called Henry?
A Constantine was converted to Christianity (Annals of Ulster, 588). A Constantine appears in the Breviary of Aberdeen as entering a monastery in Ireland incognito before joining Saint Mungo (alias Kentigern) and becoming a missionary to the Picts. He is probably the same man. This Constantine was martyred in Scotland about 576 and John of Fordun tells how he was buried at Govan, where his shrine can still be seen today. He is probably not the Saint Constantine of Devon and Cornwall, and certainly not the King Constantine of Dumnonia (south-western Britain) mentioned unfavourably by the chronicler Gildas. The fact that there were separate tribes of Dumnonii in the south-west and in Scotland merely serves to make things even more interesting. But – at the risk of upsetting historians – the only thing that matters to us is that the Constantine we celebrate today has been revered as a saint continuously for a millennium and a half. When all the facts about us are lost, may we also be worthy to be remembered.
Today's gospel reading
Matthew 5:17-19 I have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.’
Reflection on the painting
When we hear the word 'Law' as in today's reading, we tend to react immediately in a negative way. The 'law of God' sounds as if it is a set of rules that would restrict us, curb our freedom and tell us what to do. That is of course true in the strictest sense, but it is also true that when we try to live according to the truth it holds, that very law creates this huge freedom for us. The law of God doesn't restrict us but sets us free. Think of sports. A football game wouldn't be a proper game if it had no rules or boundaries. The game is enjoyable and beautiful precisely because it has rules!
The commandments of the Old Law, including the Ten Commandments (illustrated here in Philippe de Champaigne's 1648 painting depicting Moses holding the tablets of the Law), are basic commandments to be followed. Jesus doesn't abolish these, but he builds on them. In a way, we could say that these commandments were more 'external' commandments, as they refer almost entirely to external actions towards other people. Christ now expands further on these old laws. But his own commandments (to forgive, to love, to hear, to help the poor…) are more subtle, 'internal' and appeal more to the heart.
Brussels-born artist Philippe de Champaigne enjoyed a 40-year career painting for French aristocracy, including King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu. In this magisterial composition, he depicts Moses presenting the Ten Commandments. Moses’ hand and the stone tablets rest directly on a stone plinth and appear to hang over the edge; they seem so close, as if we could touch them. Champaigne used a technique called trompe-l’oeil, or “fool the eye” in French, to heighten the feeling that Moses is a real person, coming into our space. With dirt beneath his fingernails and wrinkles in his skin, Moses is further portrayed as a real person. The rich blue colour of Moses’ robe, adorned with gold embroidery, is a royal colour. The text on the tablets is in French instead of Latin, which was very unusual for the time this was painted. Moses is also depicted with a rod, symbol of authority, as the tool used by a shepherd to guide his flock. Moses, in fact, initially carried his rod while tending his sheep, and it later became to represent his authority over the Israelites.
Moses Presenting the Tablets of the Law,
Painted by Philippe de Champaigne (1602-1674),
Painted in 1648
Oil on canvas
© Milwaukee Art Museum