About Today
Friday 17 April 2026
Friday of the 2nd week of Eastertide
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: White.
Other saints: Saint Donan
Argyll & the Isles
St Donan, or Donnan, came from Ireland and established a monastery on the Isle of Eigg in the Inner Hebrides. On Easter Sunday 617 he and his 52 companions were celebrating Mass when Danish pirates arrived. The pirates allowed them to finish the Mass and then beheaded them all.
Donan is the patron saint of Eigg.
Other saints: Bl Baptist Spagnoli of Mantua (1447-1516)
17 Apr (where celebrated)
Baptist came from a family who served the Dukes of Mantua, in a northern region of Italy. He entered a Carmelite community in Ferrara and professed his religious vows in 1464. This community was part of what would later be known as the ‘Mantuan Reform’, living a stricter observance of the Carmelite Rule and seeking a spirituality of integrity amidst laxity and lethargy that characterised many religious groups of the time.
It was during his studies and doctoral work at the University of Bologna (completed in 1475) that Baptist discovered his passion for poetry in the style of classic Latin antiquity. In the wake of the rise of Christian Humanism in literature, his passion drew him into friendships with many writers. The great humanist, Erasmus of Rotterdam, reading Baptist’s work, gave him the nickname “the Christian Vergil”. In addition to his poetic works, Baptist also used his writing skill to critique the violent political situation of Renaissance Italy. He used his pen to encourage his fellow Carmelites in their interior lives of solitude, prayer and recollection, and he also wrote prayers and poems that honoured Mary and the saints.
Baptist also demonstrated a gift for leadership. Six times he was elected Vicar General for the Reformed Congregation (the Mantuan Reform). He was well known for his direct and eloquent condemnation of the corruption and immorality that was prevalent in the Church of the time. In 1513 Baptist was elected Prior General for the whole Order, a role that lasted until his death in 1516. MT
Other saints: Bl. Clara Gambacorta OP (1362 - 1419)
17 Apr (where celebrated)
Dominican Nun and Widow.
Today's gospel reading John 6:1-15 There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish
At that time: Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many?’ Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’ Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
Reflection on the painting
In today’s Gospel, the image of the young boy with his simple meal (five barley loaves and two fish) brings to mind a child heading to school with a lunch box, holding just enough to get through the day. It is a small provision, nothing extraordinary, certainly not enough to feed a great crowd. And yet, this boy does something remarkable: he offers what little he has. On its own, it is insignificant. But placed into the hands of Jesus, it becomes something far greater than anyone could have imagined.
What follows is not just a miracle of multiplication, but a revelation of how God works. The boy could not feed the crowd by himself, and yet Jesus chooses not to act without him. He receives the small gift and transforms it, so that all are fed, and even more remains. It is a gentle but powerful reminder: what we have may seem small, even inadequate, but when we entrust it to the Lord, it becomes enough. More than enough. The boy lets go of what he has, and in doing so, others are nourished.
Our large (280 cm; 110 in. high) and vibrant painting by Ambrosius Francken I captures the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes with a remarkable sense of colour and abundance. Painted in 1598, the work in the Mannerist style. Mannerism emerged in the 16th century after the High Renaissance, marked by elongated figures, exaggerated poses, heightened emotion, and complex, often crowded compositions. The term comes from the Italian word 'maniera', meaning “style” or “manner,” and it originally referred to artists working in a highly stylised, sometimes artificial way, prioritising elegance, drama, and expression over strict naturalism or classical balance. It is a style that moved beyond the calm balance of the High Renaissance into something more theatrical, but not yet the Baroque.
At the centre sits Christ, calm and composed, blessing the bread.Around him unfolds a bustling crowd: disciples distributing food, people gathering in groups, and, in the foreground, the small boy offering his loaves and fish. The composition draws our eye outward: from the intimate moment of offering to the wide-reaching miracle as the food is shared across the multitude in the distance. Francken fills the canvas with detail, almost overwhelming us with bodies, colours, and gestures, as if to emphasise the scale of the miracle. This painting was originally commissioned by a guild of bakers, making the abundance of bread all the more meaningful.
The Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes,
Painting by Ambrosius Francken I (1544–1618),
Painted in 1598,
Oil on panel
Friday of the 2nd week of Eastertide
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: White.
Other saints: Saint Donan
Argyll & the Isles
St Donan, or Donnan, came from Ireland and established a monastery on the Isle of Eigg in the Inner Hebrides. On Easter Sunday 617 he and his 52 companions were celebrating Mass when Danish pirates arrived. The pirates allowed them to finish the Mass and then beheaded them all.
Donan is the patron saint of Eigg.
Other saints: Bl Baptist Spagnoli of Mantua (1447-1516)
17 Apr (where celebrated)
Baptist came from a family who served the Dukes of Mantua, in a northern region of Italy. He entered a Carmelite community in Ferrara and professed his religious vows in 1464. This community was part of what would later be known as the ‘Mantuan Reform’, living a stricter observance of the Carmelite Rule and seeking a spirituality of integrity amidst laxity and lethargy that characterised many religious groups of the time.
It was during his studies and doctoral work at the University of Bologna (completed in 1475) that Baptist discovered his passion for poetry in the style of classic Latin antiquity. In the wake of the rise of Christian Humanism in literature, his passion drew him into friendships with many writers. The great humanist, Erasmus of Rotterdam, reading Baptist’s work, gave him the nickname “the Christian Vergil”. In addition to his poetic works, Baptist also used his writing skill to critique the violent political situation of Renaissance Italy. He used his pen to encourage his fellow Carmelites in their interior lives of solitude, prayer and recollection, and he also wrote prayers and poems that honoured Mary and the saints.
Baptist also demonstrated a gift for leadership. Six times he was elected Vicar General for the Reformed Congregation (the Mantuan Reform). He was well known for his direct and eloquent condemnation of the corruption and immorality that was prevalent in the Church of the time. In 1513 Baptist was elected Prior General for the whole Order, a role that lasted until his death in 1516. MT
Other saints: Bl. Clara Gambacorta OP (1362 - 1419)
17 Apr (where celebrated)
Dominican Nun and Widow.
Today's gospel reading John 6:1-15 There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish
At that time: Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many?’ Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’ Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
Reflection on the painting
In today’s Gospel, the image of the young boy with his simple meal (five barley loaves and two fish) brings to mind a child heading to school with a lunch box, holding just enough to get through the day. It is a small provision, nothing extraordinary, certainly not enough to feed a great crowd. And yet, this boy does something remarkable: he offers what little he has. On its own, it is insignificant. But placed into the hands of Jesus, it becomes something far greater than anyone could have imagined.
What follows is not just a miracle of multiplication, but a revelation of how God works. The boy could not feed the crowd by himself, and yet Jesus chooses not to act without him. He receives the small gift and transforms it, so that all are fed, and even more remains. It is a gentle but powerful reminder: what we have may seem small, even inadequate, but when we entrust it to the Lord, it becomes enough. More than enough. The boy lets go of what he has, and in doing so, others are nourished.
Our large (280 cm; 110 in. high) and vibrant painting by Ambrosius Francken I captures the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes with a remarkable sense of colour and abundance. Painted in 1598, the work in the Mannerist style. Mannerism emerged in the 16th century after the High Renaissance, marked by elongated figures, exaggerated poses, heightened emotion, and complex, often crowded compositions. The term comes from the Italian word 'maniera', meaning “style” or “manner,” and it originally referred to artists working in a highly stylised, sometimes artificial way, prioritising elegance, drama, and expression over strict naturalism or classical balance. It is a style that moved beyond the calm balance of the High Renaissance into something more theatrical, but not yet the Baroque.
At the centre sits Christ, calm and composed, blessing the bread.Around him unfolds a bustling crowd: disciples distributing food, people gathering in groups, and, in the foreground, the small boy offering his loaves and fish. The composition draws our eye outward: from the intimate moment of offering to the wide-reaching miracle as the food is shared across the multitude in the distance. Francken fills the canvas with detail, almost overwhelming us with bodies, colours, and gestures, as if to emphasise the scale of the miracle. This painting was originally commissioned by a guild of bakers, making the abundance of bread all the more meaningful.
The Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes,
Painting by Ambrosius Francken I (1544–1618),
Painted in 1598,
Oil on panel