About Today
Saturday 9 May 2026
Saturday of the 5th week of Eastertide
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: White.
Other saints: Saint George Preca (1880 - 1962)
Malta
George was born in Valletta, Malta, growing up not far from the Carmelite Shrine church there. At the age of four he nearly drowned in the Grand Harbour, but was rescued by a passing boatman. When his family later told the story they would joke that he had been rescued from the waters, like Moses. George, recalling that the rescue had happened on the 16th July, feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, attributed his rescue to the protection of the same Lady. As a young man, George was enrolled in the Carmelite scapular and later joined the Third Order. Attracted to the service of the priesthood, George joined the seminary and was ordained a priest in 1906, inspired by a personal mission to convert the world.
Early on, Father George (‘Dun Gorg’ in Maltese) noticed the lack of genuine faith education amongst the young people of Malta. Their religion was built around festivals and formalities, with little connection to their interior lives and a truer following of Jesus. His vision for something more and his lived integrity attracted a circle of young men around him who gathered for prayer, discussion and ultimately to work as lay missionaries in parishes and villages around Malta. His society was known as MUSEUM, which stood for Magister, Utinam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus, or “Master, would that the whole world would follow the Gospel.” A society of laymen who would teach the catechism to the people while receiving instruction themselves was unheard of at the time, and it took twenty-five years and much tension with the Church authorities (including at one point the closure of the Society’s houses) before the Society’s existence was officially approved. It continued its work throughout World War II even in the places where members fled from the violence as refugees.
Dun Gorg continued preaching and writing, drawing on the rich spiritual writings of Carmelites Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, as well as his models as a Third Order Carmelite, Elijah and Mary. He had a flair for making Carmelite thoughts, teachings and traditions clear and simple for working people. In 1951 Malta celebrated the Seventh Centenary of the Brown Scapular, with Father George at the forefront. In the same year the Carmelite Prior General, Killian Lynch, formally affiliated him to the Carmelite family.
He composed the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary in 1957. He died in 1962, and was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on 3 June 2007, being described as “Malta’s second father in faith” after St Paul. Today the Society has over a thousand members and is responsible for the teaching of some 20,000 young people in the Maltese islands, the UK, Australia, Peru, Albania, Kenya and the Sudan.
Today's gospel reading John 15:18-21 If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: “A servant is not greater than his master.”If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.’
Reflection on the painting
In our own time, we have become increasingly aware of Christians who suffer for their faith, especially in parts of the Middle East or the Far East, where some have paid the ultimate price rather than renounce their belief in Christ. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus speaks to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion. He does not hide the truth from them: if the world has rejected Him, it may well reject them too. Here, the “world” is not creation itself, but those who turn away from the light of Christ and resist His message. The word ‘world’ here is shorthand for those who have said ‘no’ to Jesus. These are sobering words. To follow Christ is not always to walk an easy path.
We may not face the same kind of persecution in our part of the world here in the West, but we know how subtle forms of secular resistance can creep in. There can be a quiet pressure to remain silent, to keep faith private, to avoid standing out. At times, we may feel hesitant, even intimidated, in a culture that can be uneasy with faith. And yet, when we turn to the Acts of the Apostles that we have been reading from in recent weeks, we see something remarkable: the early Christians, despite opposition, spoke and lived with extraordinary courage. Their strength did not come from themselves, but from the Holy Spirit. That same Spirit is given to us. And it is only by opening ourselves to Him that our faith, too, can grow in courage, quiet confidence, and joyful witness.
The ancient philosopher Aristotle spoke beautifully about courage, describing it as the virtue that stands between fear and recklessness. For him, true courage was not the absence offear, but the ability to act rightly despite fear. Courage, he said, is to hold firm in what isgood, even when it is difficult. Courage, then, is not loud or dramatic; it is often quiet, steady,and faithful. It is the strength to remain true when it would be easier to step back.
In this powerful painting by John Everett Millais, Joan of Arc is shown filled with courage. Sheis kneeling in armour, her gaze lifted upward, her hands resting on a sword. There is no drama, no noise, only a deep stillness. And yet, everything speaks of courage. It is not loud or heroic in the usual sense; it is interior, grounded, resolute. She looks as someone who has already said “yes,” someone ready to face whatever lies ahead, because she knows she is not acting alone.
Joan of Arc was a young peasant girl who believed she was called by God to lead France during the Hundred Years’ War. Guided by what she described as divine voices, she led troops to remarkable victories, before being captured, tried, and ultimately burned at the stake in 1431. She was later recognised as a martyr and canonised as a saint because of her unwavering faith, her courage, and her fidelity to God’s call, even unto death. In Millais’painting, all of that is distilled into a single moment: not the battlefield, not the flames, but the quiet, decisive courage of a heart listening to God.
Joan of Arc, Painting by John Everett Millais (1829–1896), Painted in 1865,Oil on canvas© Wikimedia Commons
Saturday of the 5th week of Eastertide
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: White.
Other saints: Saint George Preca (1880 - 1962)
Malta
George was born in Valletta, Malta, growing up not far from the Carmelite Shrine church there. At the age of four he nearly drowned in the Grand Harbour, but was rescued by a passing boatman. When his family later told the story they would joke that he had been rescued from the waters, like Moses. George, recalling that the rescue had happened on the 16th July, feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, attributed his rescue to the protection of the same Lady. As a young man, George was enrolled in the Carmelite scapular and later joined the Third Order. Attracted to the service of the priesthood, George joined the seminary and was ordained a priest in 1906, inspired by a personal mission to convert the world.
Early on, Father George (‘Dun Gorg’ in Maltese) noticed the lack of genuine faith education amongst the young people of Malta. Their religion was built around festivals and formalities, with little connection to their interior lives and a truer following of Jesus. His vision for something more and his lived integrity attracted a circle of young men around him who gathered for prayer, discussion and ultimately to work as lay missionaries in parishes and villages around Malta. His society was known as MUSEUM, which stood for Magister, Utinam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus, or “Master, would that the whole world would follow the Gospel.” A society of laymen who would teach the catechism to the people while receiving instruction themselves was unheard of at the time, and it took twenty-five years and much tension with the Church authorities (including at one point the closure of the Society’s houses) before the Society’s existence was officially approved. It continued its work throughout World War II even in the places where members fled from the violence as refugees.
Dun Gorg continued preaching and writing, drawing on the rich spiritual writings of Carmelites Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, as well as his models as a Third Order Carmelite, Elijah and Mary. He had a flair for making Carmelite thoughts, teachings and traditions clear and simple for working people. In 1951 Malta celebrated the Seventh Centenary of the Brown Scapular, with Father George at the forefront. In the same year the Carmelite Prior General, Killian Lynch, formally affiliated him to the Carmelite family.
He composed the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary in 1957. He died in 1962, and was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on 3 June 2007, being described as “Malta’s second father in faith” after St Paul. Today the Society has over a thousand members and is responsible for the teaching of some 20,000 young people in the Maltese islands, the UK, Australia, Peru, Albania, Kenya and the Sudan.
Today's gospel reading John 15:18-21 If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: “A servant is not greater than his master.”If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.’
Reflection on the painting
In our own time, we have become increasingly aware of Christians who suffer for their faith, especially in parts of the Middle East or the Far East, where some have paid the ultimate price rather than renounce their belief in Christ. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus speaks to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion. He does not hide the truth from them: if the world has rejected Him, it may well reject them too. Here, the “world” is not creation itself, but those who turn away from the light of Christ and resist His message. The word ‘world’ here is shorthand for those who have said ‘no’ to Jesus. These are sobering words. To follow Christ is not always to walk an easy path.
We may not face the same kind of persecution in our part of the world here in the West, but we know how subtle forms of secular resistance can creep in. There can be a quiet pressure to remain silent, to keep faith private, to avoid standing out. At times, we may feel hesitant, even intimidated, in a culture that can be uneasy with faith. And yet, when we turn to the Acts of the Apostles that we have been reading from in recent weeks, we see something remarkable: the early Christians, despite opposition, spoke and lived with extraordinary courage. Their strength did not come from themselves, but from the Holy Spirit. That same Spirit is given to us. And it is only by opening ourselves to Him that our faith, too, can grow in courage, quiet confidence, and joyful witness.
The ancient philosopher Aristotle spoke beautifully about courage, describing it as the virtue that stands between fear and recklessness. For him, true courage was not the absence offear, but the ability to act rightly despite fear. Courage, he said, is to hold firm in what isgood, even when it is difficult. Courage, then, is not loud or dramatic; it is often quiet, steady,and faithful. It is the strength to remain true when it would be easier to step back.
In this powerful painting by John Everett Millais, Joan of Arc is shown filled with courage. Sheis kneeling in armour, her gaze lifted upward, her hands resting on a sword. There is no drama, no noise, only a deep stillness. And yet, everything speaks of courage. It is not loud or heroic in the usual sense; it is interior, grounded, resolute. She looks as someone who has already said “yes,” someone ready to face whatever lies ahead, because she knows she is not acting alone.
Joan of Arc was a young peasant girl who believed she was called by God to lead France during the Hundred Years’ War. Guided by what she described as divine voices, she led troops to remarkable victories, before being captured, tried, and ultimately burned at the stake in 1431. She was later recognised as a martyr and canonised as a saint because of her unwavering faith, her courage, and her fidelity to God’s call, even unto death. In Millais’painting, all of that is distilled into a single moment: not the battlefield, not the flames, but the quiet, decisive courage of a heart listening to God.
Joan of Arc, Painting by John Everett Millais (1829–1896), Painted in 1865,Oil on canvas© Wikimedia Commons