About Today
Tuesday 5 May 2026
Tuesday of the 5th week of Eastertide
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: White.
Other saints: St Asaph
Wales
He was a monk of the monastery at Llanelwy, founded by St Kentigern. He was consecrated bishop in 573, and the town of Llanelwy (as well as the diocese) is called St Asaph in his honour. See also the articles in Wikipedia and the Catholic Encyclopaedia.
Other saints: Blessed Edmund Rice (1762 - 1844)
Ireland
Following the death of his wife in 1789, he devoted himself to prayer and good works, in particular to the education of the poor in his home town of Waterford: the children being taught were so poor that they needed to be clothed and fed as well. He founded schools, and undertook the training of teachers. In 1808 he and six companions took religious vows. This was the nucleus of the Presentation Brothers, who continue to this day. The Christian Brothers share the same root: the two congregations separated in the 1820s. See the article in Wikipedia.
Other saints: St Richard Reynolds (- 1535)
Plymouth
Richard Reynolds is thought to have come from Pinhoe in Exeter, and was a Bridgettine monk of Syon Abbey on the Thames. He suffered martyrdom with the Carthusians at Tyburn on May 4th 1535, for refusing to take the oath of royal supremacy under Henry VIII. He was known for his personal holiness, and was one of the forty martyrs canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970. Syon Abbey, one of the great medieval monasteries, was dissolved in 1539 by Henry. The expelled community moved from place to place in France and Spain, finally settling in Lisbon in 1594. This same community moved from Lisbon back to England in 1861, settling first in Spetisbury, Dorset, then in Chudleigh, and finally in 1925 in South Brent. The community remained here until the closure of Syon Abbey in 2011.
Plymouth Ordo
Other saints: St Angelus (1185-c.1220)
5 May (where celebrated)
The history of Angelus belongs to the time of the first Carmelites of the 13th century, a time when the histories of holy people were expressed in legend and myth that encouraged and taught the faithful. Angelus is remembered as one of the hermits who spent time with the founding community of hermits on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. The legends attribute to Angelus miracles of curing the sick, calling down fire, making an axe head float and raising the dead. These images evoke the echoes of the deeds of Elijah and Elisha, the inspirational figures of the original Carmelite hermits. It appears that the medieval chronicler writing about Angelus, honoured him for a personality and life that closely imitated these Biblical Carmelite role models.
Angelus did not remain at Mount Carmel, but travelled to Sicily in 1219, according to the legends. He would have been one of the first Carmelites to arrive in Europe and living as an itinerant preacher, as no Carmelite communities had yet been established in Europe. Another account describes Angelus’ travels to Rome, where we are told he met with both St Francis and St Dominic. This meeting of three representatives from the mendicant orders became a popular subject for artists in later times, with each one identified by his distinctive habit.
Reports tell of Angelus receiving a martyr’s death in Sicily in the year 1220, where today he continues to be revered as a great saint. Angelus had spoken out against the immorality of a Sicilian nobleman, who then swore to punish Angelus. While he was preaching a mob attacked him. He later died from several stab wounds, while praying for his attackers. The memory of St Angelus embodies the historical movement of the Carmelites from their hermit home on Mount Carmelite to their mendicant beginnings in Europe. MT
Today's gospel reading: John 14:27-31a Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I will come to you.” If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.’
Reflection on the print
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus speaks words that go straight to the heart of his message: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” These are not distant words, they are spoken by the priest at every Mass, just before we exchange the sign of peace. In recent weeks, as wars continue to scar our world, Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly called us back to this truth: peace is not optional! The quest for peace lies at the very core of our Catholic faith.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church in Catechism of the Catholic Church 2304 states: "Respect for and development of human life require peace. Peace is not merely the absence of war, and it is not limited to maintaining a balance of powers between adversaries. Peace cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the goods of persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity. Peace is "the tranquillity of order." I do like those words 'the tranquility of order'. The phrase “tranquillity of order” comes from Augustine of Hippo, especially in his work The City of God. By this, Augustine means that true peace is not simply the absence of conflict, but a state where everything is rightly ordered: where our hearts are aligned with God, our relationships are just, and each part of life is in harmony with its proper place.
In other words, peace begins in the human heart. It is built in small, daily choices: patience instead of anger, forgiveness instead of resentment, understanding instead of division. Peace is therefore not only the task of political leaders and nations; it is the vocation of every Christian. Each of us is called to become a bearer of Christ’s peace in our homes, our relationships, and our communities.
One of Banksy’s most striking anti-war works, CND Soldiers, first appeared in Parliament Square in 2003, inspired by the real-life peace protest led by Brian Haw. The image shows two British soldiers, armed and in full military uniform, carefully painting a large peace symbol (the emblem of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) onto a wall. The contrast is immediate and unsettling: figures trained for conflict are engaged in an act of peace. It is both ironic and deeply thought-provoking, as all of Banksy's work.
On one level, Banksy highlights the tension between war and the human longing for peace, suggesting that even those sent to fight may inwardly desire something very different. On another level, the work critiques political decisions and the machinery of war, especially in the context of the Iraq War at the time. By placing this image initially on Parliament Square, near the heart of political power, Banksy invites us to question authority, to reflect on the cost of conflict, and to consider whether true peace can ever be imposed by force... or whether it must begin, as all lasting peace does, within the human heart first.
CND Soldiers,
Created by BANKSY (born 1973),
Sprayed and painted in 2003,
Paint and spray paint on paper
© Banksy / Pest Control, all rights reserved
Tuesday of the 5th week of Eastertide
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: White.
Other saints: St Asaph
Wales
He was a monk of the monastery at Llanelwy, founded by St Kentigern. He was consecrated bishop in 573, and the town of Llanelwy (as well as the diocese) is called St Asaph in his honour. See also the articles in Wikipedia and the Catholic Encyclopaedia.
Other saints: Blessed Edmund Rice (1762 - 1844)
Ireland
Following the death of his wife in 1789, he devoted himself to prayer and good works, in particular to the education of the poor in his home town of Waterford: the children being taught were so poor that they needed to be clothed and fed as well. He founded schools, and undertook the training of teachers. In 1808 he and six companions took religious vows. This was the nucleus of the Presentation Brothers, who continue to this day. The Christian Brothers share the same root: the two congregations separated in the 1820s. See the article in Wikipedia.
Other saints: St Richard Reynolds (- 1535)
Plymouth
Richard Reynolds is thought to have come from Pinhoe in Exeter, and was a Bridgettine monk of Syon Abbey on the Thames. He suffered martyrdom with the Carthusians at Tyburn on May 4th 1535, for refusing to take the oath of royal supremacy under Henry VIII. He was known for his personal holiness, and was one of the forty martyrs canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970. Syon Abbey, one of the great medieval monasteries, was dissolved in 1539 by Henry. The expelled community moved from place to place in France and Spain, finally settling in Lisbon in 1594. This same community moved from Lisbon back to England in 1861, settling first in Spetisbury, Dorset, then in Chudleigh, and finally in 1925 in South Brent. The community remained here until the closure of Syon Abbey in 2011.
Plymouth Ordo
5 May (where celebrated)
The history of Angelus belongs to the time of the first Carmelites of the 13th century, a time when the histories of holy people were expressed in legend and myth that encouraged and taught the faithful. Angelus is remembered as one of the hermits who spent time with the founding community of hermits on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. The legends attribute to Angelus miracles of curing the sick, calling down fire, making an axe head float and raising the dead. These images evoke the echoes of the deeds of Elijah and Elisha, the inspirational figures of the original Carmelite hermits. It appears that the medieval chronicler writing about Angelus, honoured him for a personality and life that closely imitated these Biblical Carmelite role models.
Angelus did not remain at Mount Carmel, but travelled to Sicily in 1219, according to the legends. He would have been one of the first Carmelites to arrive in Europe and living as an itinerant preacher, as no Carmelite communities had yet been established in Europe. Another account describes Angelus’ travels to Rome, where we are told he met with both St Francis and St Dominic. This meeting of three representatives from the mendicant orders became a popular subject for artists in later times, with each one identified by his distinctive habit.
Reports tell of Angelus receiving a martyr’s death in Sicily in the year 1220, where today he continues to be revered as a great saint. Angelus had spoken out against the immorality of a Sicilian nobleman, who then swore to punish Angelus. While he was preaching a mob attacked him. He later died from several stab wounds, while praying for his attackers. The memory of St Angelus embodies the historical movement of the Carmelites from their hermit home on Mount Carmelite to their mendicant beginnings in Europe. MT
Today's gospel reading: John 14:27-31a Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I will come to you.” If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.’
Reflection on the print
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus speaks words that go straight to the heart of his message: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” These are not distant words, they are spoken by the priest at every Mass, just before we exchange the sign of peace. In recent weeks, as wars continue to scar our world, Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly called us back to this truth: peace is not optional! The quest for peace lies at the very core of our Catholic faith.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church in Catechism of the Catholic Church 2304 states: "Respect for and development of human life require peace. Peace is not merely the absence of war, and it is not limited to maintaining a balance of powers between adversaries. Peace cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the goods of persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity. Peace is "the tranquillity of order." I do like those words 'the tranquility of order'. The phrase “tranquillity of order” comes from Augustine of Hippo, especially in his work The City of God. By this, Augustine means that true peace is not simply the absence of conflict, but a state where everything is rightly ordered: where our hearts are aligned with God, our relationships are just, and each part of life is in harmony with its proper place.
In other words, peace begins in the human heart. It is built in small, daily choices: patience instead of anger, forgiveness instead of resentment, understanding instead of division. Peace is therefore not only the task of political leaders and nations; it is the vocation of every Christian. Each of us is called to become a bearer of Christ’s peace in our homes, our relationships, and our communities.
One of Banksy’s most striking anti-war works, CND Soldiers, first appeared in Parliament Square in 2003, inspired by the real-life peace protest led by Brian Haw. The image shows two British soldiers, armed and in full military uniform, carefully painting a large peace symbol (the emblem of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) onto a wall. The contrast is immediate and unsettling: figures trained for conflict are engaged in an act of peace. It is both ironic and deeply thought-provoking, as all of Banksy's work.
On one level, Banksy highlights the tension between war and the human longing for peace, suggesting that even those sent to fight may inwardly desire something very different. On another level, the work critiques political decisions and the machinery of war, especially in the context of the Iraq War at the time. By placing this image initially on Parliament Square, near the heart of political power, Banksy invites us to question authority, to reflect on the cost of conflict, and to consider whether true peace can ever be imposed by force... or whether it must begin, as all lasting peace does, within the human heart first.
CND Soldiers,
Created by BANKSY (born 1973),
Sprayed and painted in 2003,
Paint and spray paint on paper
© Banksy / Pest Control, all rights reserved