About Today
Monday 5 January 2026
5 January
Christ has been born for us: come, let us adore him.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: White.
Other saints: St John Neumann (1811 - 1860)
United States
He was born in Bohemia and studied for the priesthood. His bishop would not allow him to be ordained because the diocese had too many priests already, and eventually he went to the United States and was ordained in New York in 1836. He was consecrated Bishop of Philadephia in 1852 and died there in 1860. See the article in Wikipedia.
‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’
Gospel: John 1:43-51
At that time: Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael andsaid to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote:Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out ofNazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him andsaid of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to him,‘How do you know me?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were underthe fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered him, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are theKing of Israel!’ Jesus answered him, ‘Because I said to you, “I saw you under the fig tree”, doyou believe? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say toyou, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on theSon of Man.’
Reflection on the Painting
In our Gospel reading, at first, Nathanael is doubtful about Jesus. He asks, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” His judgement is quick and not very generous. But it does notlast. By the end of the Gospel, Nathanael’s view has completely changed. After meeting Jesus, he comes to believe and says, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”Nathanael needed time and personal encounter to see who Jesus really was and to discoverthe goodness that lay beneath the surface.
Jesus, however, does not need time. Even after Nathanael’s dismissive comment, Jesusspeaks well of him and recognises his honesty straight away. The Gospel reminds us thatwhile we often struggle to see the good in others, the Lord sees it immediately. That is bothcomforting and challenging. It is comforting because God notices the goodness in us thatothers may overlook; but it is also challenging, as like Jesus, we asked to always see the goodin others.
We should be careful not to jump to conclusions about others, and even more careful not tobe quick in our judgements, because Scripture reminds us again and again that ultimatejudgement belongs to God alone. This truth is powerfully expressed in The Last Judgementby Joos Van Cleve, circa 1525. We see Christ sitting enthroned at the centre, calm andauthoritative, raised above the turmoil of the world, reminding us that judgement is notchaotic or impulsive, but judgement is just and divine. Around him, angels sound trumpetsas the dead rise from their graves, while souls are separated, not according to appearances,reputation, or first impressions, but according to truth known fully only to God.
The Last Judgement, Painting by Joos van Cleve (ca. 1485–1541),Painted circa 1525–30,Oil on panel© Metropolitan Museum, New York
5 January
Christ has been born for us: come, let us adore him.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: White.
Other saints: St John Neumann (1811 - 1860)
United States
He was born in Bohemia and studied for the priesthood. His bishop would not allow him to be ordained because the diocese had too many priests already, and eventually he went to the United States and was ordained in New York in 1836. He was consecrated Bishop of Philadephia in 1852 and died there in 1860. See the article in Wikipedia.
‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’
Gospel: John 1:43-51
At that time: Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael andsaid to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote:Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out ofNazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him andsaid of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to him,‘How do you know me?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were underthe fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered him, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are theKing of Israel!’ Jesus answered him, ‘Because I said to you, “I saw you under the fig tree”, doyou believe? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say toyou, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on theSon of Man.’
Reflection on the Painting
In our Gospel reading, at first, Nathanael is doubtful about Jesus. He asks, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” His judgement is quick and not very generous. But it does notlast. By the end of the Gospel, Nathanael’s view has completely changed. After meeting Jesus, he comes to believe and says, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”Nathanael needed time and personal encounter to see who Jesus really was and to discoverthe goodness that lay beneath the surface.
Jesus, however, does not need time. Even after Nathanael’s dismissive comment, Jesusspeaks well of him and recognises his honesty straight away. The Gospel reminds us thatwhile we often struggle to see the good in others, the Lord sees it immediately. That is bothcomforting and challenging. It is comforting because God notices the goodness in us thatothers may overlook; but it is also challenging, as like Jesus, we asked to always see the goodin others.
We should be careful not to jump to conclusions about others, and even more careful not tobe quick in our judgements, because Scripture reminds us again and again that ultimatejudgement belongs to God alone. This truth is powerfully expressed in The Last Judgementby Joos Van Cleve, circa 1525. We see Christ sitting enthroned at the centre, calm andauthoritative, raised above the turmoil of the world, reminding us that judgement is notchaotic or impulsive, but judgement is just and divine. Around him, angels sound trumpetsas the dead rise from their graves, while souls are separated, not according to appearances,reputation, or first impressions, but according to truth known fully only to God.
The Last Judgement, Painting by Joos van Cleve (ca. 1485–1541),Painted circa 1525–30,Oil on panel© Metropolitan Museum, New York