About Today
Thursday 26 March 2026
Thursday of the 5th 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: 1. Liturgical Colour: Violet.
Today's gospel reading They picked up stones to throw at him
John 8:51-59
Jesus said to the Jews:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
whoever keeps my word
will never see death.’
The Jews said, ‘Now we know for certain that you are possessed. Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead, yet you say, “ Whoever keeps my words will never know the taste of death.” Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? The prophets are dead too. Whoever you are claimed to be?’ Jesus answered:
‘If I was able to seek my own glory
That would be no glory at all;
my glory is compared by the Father,
By the one whom you say, “ He is our God”
although you do not know him,
But I know him,
and if I were to say: I do not know him.
I should be a liar, as you are liars yourselves.
I do know him, and I faithfully keep his word.
Your father Abraham rejoiced
to think that he would see my day;
He saw it and was glad,’
The Jews then said, ‘ You are not fifty yet and you have seen Abraham!’ Jesus replied:
‘I tell you solemnly,
before Abraham was,
I Am.’
At this they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple.
Reflection on the painting
In Monday’s Gospel reading, the religious leaders were ready to stone a woman whom they had dragged before Jesus. In today’s reading, that same group once again takes up stones, but this time their target is Jesus Himself. They had wanted to stone the woman because she had been caught in adultery. Now they wish to stone Jesus because of the bold claims He is making about His identity, especially His declaration that He existed before Abraham. To them, such words sounded like blasphemy. What we see here is how religious 'certainty', when mixed with pride and fear, can lead to hostility and even violence against those who appear to challenge it.
Yet the Gospel reveals a very different vision of God. True faith does not lead us to condemn or destroy others, but to seek communion with them, even when they are different from us. To find common ground, and then to work from there. On this occasion Jesus escapes the stones, but we know that next week during Holy Week, He will face the Cross. Being deeply convinced in our faith is important and necessary, but absolute certainty mixed with pride can become dangerous, even violent.
Sadly many religious wars have risen over time. Today's reading reminded me of the French Wars of Religion. They tore France apart between 1562 and 1598, pitting the Catholic majority against French Protestants, known as Huguenots. The tensions began when the Protestant Reformation spread into France and large numbers of people adopted the teachings of John Calvin. Political rivalries between noble families quickly intertwined with religious divisions, and the country descended into decades of intermittent warfare. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease directly caused by the conflict.
One of the most infamous episodes of these wars was the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in August 1572, depicted in our painting by François Dubois. Thousands of Protestant Huguenots had gathered in Paris for the wedding of the Protestant prince Henry of Navarre to the Catholic princess Margaret of Valois, an event meant to promote peace between the two communities. Instead, violence erupted after the attempted assassination of the Protestant leader Admiral Coligny. On the night of 23–24 August 1572, royal orders led to the killing of several Protestant leaders, and the situation quickly spiralled into mob violence. Over several days, Catholics massacred Huguenots in Paris and then in cities across France, with estimates of the dead ranging to as many as 30,000 people. The artist fled France after the massacre. The painting does not show a single moment but a wide panorama of violence unfolding across Paris. In one corner we see the body of Admiral Coligny being thrown from a window, while in another the powerful queen mother Catherine de’ Medici walks among the bodies of the dead. The crowded composition and scattered scenes of killing capture the chaos and brutality of the massacre.
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre,
Painting by François Dubois (1529-1584),
Painted around 1574,
Oil on canvas
© The Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts, Lausanne, SwitzerlandSt. Bartholomew's Day Massacre,
Painting by François Dubois (1529-1584),
Painted around 1574,
Oil on canvas
© The Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland
Thursday of the 5th 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: 1. Liturgical Colour: Violet.
Today's gospel reading They picked up stones to throw at him
John 8:51-59
Jesus said to the Jews:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
whoever keeps my word
will never see death.’
The Jews said, ‘Now we know for certain that you are possessed. Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead, yet you say, “ Whoever keeps my words will never know the taste of death.” Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? The prophets are dead too. Whoever you are claimed to be?’ Jesus answered:
‘If I was able to seek my own glory
That would be no glory at all;
my glory is compared by the Father,
By the one whom you say, “ He is our God”
although you do not know him,
But I know him,
and if I were to say: I do not know him.
I should be a liar, as you are liars yourselves.
I do know him, and I faithfully keep his word.
Your father Abraham rejoiced
to think that he would see my day;
He saw it and was glad,’
The Jews then said, ‘ You are not fifty yet and you have seen Abraham!’ Jesus replied:
‘I tell you solemnly,
before Abraham was,
I Am.’
At this they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple.
Reflection on the painting
In Monday’s Gospel reading, the religious leaders were ready to stone a woman whom they had dragged before Jesus. In today’s reading, that same group once again takes up stones, but this time their target is Jesus Himself. They had wanted to stone the woman because she had been caught in adultery. Now they wish to stone Jesus because of the bold claims He is making about His identity, especially His declaration that He existed before Abraham. To them, such words sounded like blasphemy. What we see here is how religious 'certainty', when mixed with pride and fear, can lead to hostility and even violence against those who appear to challenge it.
Yet the Gospel reveals a very different vision of God. True faith does not lead us to condemn or destroy others, but to seek communion with them, even when they are different from us. To find common ground, and then to work from there. On this occasion Jesus escapes the stones, but we know that next week during Holy Week, He will face the Cross. Being deeply convinced in our faith is important and necessary, but absolute certainty mixed with pride can become dangerous, even violent.
Sadly many religious wars have risen over time. Today's reading reminded me of the French Wars of Religion. They tore France apart between 1562 and 1598, pitting the Catholic majority against French Protestants, known as Huguenots. The tensions began when the Protestant Reformation spread into France and large numbers of people adopted the teachings of John Calvin. Political rivalries between noble families quickly intertwined with religious divisions, and the country descended into decades of intermittent warfare. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease directly caused by the conflict.
One of the most infamous episodes of these wars was the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in August 1572, depicted in our painting by François Dubois. Thousands of Protestant Huguenots had gathered in Paris for the wedding of the Protestant prince Henry of Navarre to the Catholic princess Margaret of Valois, an event meant to promote peace between the two communities. Instead, violence erupted after the attempted assassination of the Protestant leader Admiral Coligny. On the night of 23–24 August 1572, royal orders led to the killing of several Protestant leaders, and the situation quickly spiralled into mob violence. Over several days, Catholics massacred Huguenots in Paris and then in cities across France, with estimates of the dead ranging to as many as 30,000 people. The artist fled France after the massacre. The painting does not show a single moment but a wide panorama of violence unfolding across Paris. In one corner we see the body of Admiral Coligny being thrown from a window, while in another the powerful queen mother Catherine de’ Medici walks among the bodies of the dead. The crowded composition and scattered scenes of killing capture the chaos and brutality of the massacre.
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre,
Painting by François Dubois (1529-1584),
Painted around 1574,
Oil on canvas
© The Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts, Lausanne, SwitzerlandSt. Bartholomew's Day Massacre,
Painting by François Dubois (1529-1584),
Painted around 1574,
Oil on canvas
© The Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland