About Today
Sunday 1 March 2026
2nd Sunday 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: 2. Liturgical Colour: Violet.
Other saints: St David (520 - 589)
England, Ireland: 1 Mar
Wales: 2 Mar
The earliest life of St David dates from five centuries after his death, probably in 589. He became eminent as abbot and bishop at the site now known as St David’s, but formerly Mynyw, from which the present diocese of Cardiff-Menevia is named. He is credited with a monastic rule based on the example of the Eastern Fathers, and also with a Penitentiary. He was invited to preside at the synod of Llandewibrefi. Monks trained at his monastery evangelized South Wales and made foundations in Cornwall, Brittany and Ireland. St David is said to have sent a Mass rite to Ireland. At his death his contemporary St Kentigern, founder of St Asaph’s in North Wales, witnessed in vision his joyful entrance into the joy of his Lord. His holy relics have been found hidden in the fabric of St David’s Cathedral, where they are carefully preserved. He was canonized by Pope Callistus II in 1123. See the articles in the Catholic Encyclopaedia and Wikipedia/
Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain
Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9
At that time: Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’ When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Rise, and have no fear.’ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one, but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ‘Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.’
Reflection on the watercolour
It can seem almost surprising that the Church places the radiant mystery of the Transfiguration before us in the heart of Lent. We are fasting, almsgiving, walking steadily toward the Cross, and suddenly we are bathed in light. Yet perhaps that is precisely the point. Before we reach Calvary, we are given a glimpse of glory. In the Gospel, Jesus leads Peter, James and John away from the familiar shores of Galilee and up a high mountain. Mountains in Scripture are never accidental; they are always places of revelation. And there, in that luminous moment, Peter blurts out what many of us would feel: “Lord, it is wonderful for us to be here.” It is the instinctive cry of the heart when heaven seems very near. I do love Peter's reactions in this reading.
Deeply moved, Peter immediately wants to act. he wants to do something. He wants to build three tents, to preserve the moment, to help, to contribute. It is a very human response. When grace touches us, we want to secure it, organise it, perhaps even control it. But what Peter witnessed on the mountain was not a moment for construction; it is a moment for contemplation. Before Peter could even begin building, the Father’s voice interrupts: “This is my Son, the Beloved… listen to him.” Some encounters with God are not meant to be followed by action, they are simply there to be savoured, to be enjoyed. When we relinquish the urge to always want to 'do something' and take charge, when we simply stand in quiet wonder, something can shift within us. The light can settle more deeply in stillness. And that quiet listening heart is what will sustain us when the mountain gives way to the road that leads to Jerusalem... that is our Lenten journey...
Our watercolour by David Roberts shows this journey to Jerusalem. We see pilgrims on the left standing high on a hill, gazing out toward the sacred city ahead . Its rooftops and spires are shining in the distance. From this elevated vantage the path below looks clear and inviting, but the road to Jerusalem does not go straight across smooth plains. It threads through valleys, winds around rivers, and negotiates rocky terrain, reminding us that the pilgrimage of faith demands effort, endurance and trust. Just as these travellers on the hillside must leave the ease of the summit and make their way down into the challenges below, so our Lenten journey calls us not simply to admire the promised light of Easter, but to walk through the valleys of repentance, prayer and transformation that lead us there.
Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives,
Painting by David Roberts ( 1796–1864),
Painted in 1839,
Colour lithograph, based on gouache and watercolour
© Cleveland Museum of Art
2nd Sunday 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: 2. Liturgical Colour: Violet.
Other saints: St David (520 - 589)
England, Ireland: 1 Mar
Wales: 2 Mar
The earliest life of St David dates from five centuries after his death, probably in 589. He became eminent as abbot and bishop at the site now known as St David’s, but formerly Mynyw, from which the present diocese of Cardiff-Menevia is named. He is credited with a monastic rule based on the example of the Eastern Fathers, and also with a Penitentiary. He was invited to preside at the synod of Llandewibrefi. Monks trained at his monastery evangelized South Wales and made foundations in Cornwall, Brittany and Ireland. St David is said to have sent a Mass rite to Ireland. At his death his contemporary St Kentigern, founder of St Asaph’s in North Wales, witnessed in vision his joyful entrance into the joy of his Lord. His holy relics have been found hidden in the fabric of St David’s Cathedral, where they are carefully preserved. He was canonized by Pope Callistus II in 1123. See the articles in the Catholic Encyclopaedia and Wikipedia/
Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain
Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9
At that time: Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’ When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Rise, and have no fear.’ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one, but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ‘Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.’
Reflection on the watercolour
It can seem almost surprising that the Church places the radiant mystery of the Transfiguration before us in the heart of Lent. We are fasting, almsgiving, walking steadily toward the Cross, and suddenly we are bathed in light. Yet perhaps that is precisely the point. Before we reach Calvary, we are given a glimpse of glory. In the Gospel, Jesus leads Peter, James and John away from the familiar shores of Galilee and up a high mountain. Mountains in Scripture are never accidental; they are always places of revelation. And there, in that luminous moment, Peter blurts out what many of us would feel: “Lord, it is wonderful for us to be here.” It is the instinctive cry of the heart when heaven seems very near. I do love Peter's reactions in this reading.
Deeply moved, Peter immediately wants to act. he wants to do something. He wants to build three tents, to preserve the moment, to help, to contribute. It is a very human response. When grace touches us, we want to secure it, organise it, perhaps even control it. But what Peter witnessed on the mountain was not a moment for construction; it is a moment for contemplation. Before Peter could even begin building, the Father’s voice interrupts: “This is my Son, the Beloved… listen to him.” Some encounters with God are not meant to be followed by action, they are simply there to be savoured, to be enjoyed. When we relinquish the urge to always want to 'do something' and take charge, when we simply stand in quiet wonder, something can shift within us. The light can settle more deeply in stillness. And that quiet listening heart is what will sustain us when the mountain gives way to the road that leads to Jerusalem... that is our Lenten journey...
Our watercolour by David Roberts shows this journey to Jerusalem. We see pilgrims on the left standing high on a hill, gazing out toward the sacred city ahead . Its rooftops and spires are shining in the distance. From this elevated vantage the path below looks clear and inviting, but the road to Jerusalem does not go straight across smooth plains. It threads through valleys, winds around rivers, and negotiates rocky terrain, reminding us that the pilgrimage of faith demands effort, endurance and trust. Just as these travellers on the hillside must leave the ease of the summit and make their way down into the challenges below, so our Lenten journey calls us not simply to admire the promised light of Easter, but to walk through the valleys of repentance, prayer and transformation that lead us there.
Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives,
Painting by David Roberts ( 1796–1864),
Painted in 1839,
Colour lithograph, based on gouache and watercolour
© Cleveland Museum of Art