About Today
Thursday 29 January 2026
Thursday of week 3 in Ordinary Time
Come, let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 3. Liturgical Colour: Green.
Other saints: Bl Archangela Girlani (1460-1495)
29 Jan (where celebrated)
Blessed Archangela Girlani was born Eleanor Girlani in 1460 at Trino, in northern Italy, to a noble family. At age seventeen, she, along with her two sisters, Maria and Frances, took the Carmelite habit in the monastery at Parma. Eleanor took the religious name Archangela. She later become prioress of the monastery at Parma, and then prioress at a new foundation at Mantua in 1492. She died at Mantua in January 1495 in her third year as prioress there. Apart from her role of service to the monasteries in which she was prioress, Archangela’s Carmelite life is remembered as one permeated by strivings in the mystical life of prayer. Her frequent prayer was “Jesus, my Love.”
Other saints: Bl. Villana de' Botti OP (1332 - 1361)
29 Jan (where celebrated)
Lay Dominican and Wife.
Blessed Villana, the daughter of a rich merchant, was born at Florence in 1332. She married the wealthy Pietro Benitendo and together with her husband lived a worldly life which their wealth sustained. Realizing the emptiness of her life, Villana went to the friars of Santa Maria Novella to confess her sins and ask for the habit of the sisters of Penance of St. Dominic. She took up the study of scripture and the contemplation of Christ crucified and drew other women to follow her example. She died on January 29, 1361.
Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket?
Gospel:Mark 4:21-25
At that time: Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.’ And he said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’
Reflection on the painting
Jesus was an artist. He was a master at painting images in our minds. He often teaches by using simple, everyday images, and in today’s Gospel he offers us the image of a lamp. He reminds us that no one lights a lamp only to hide it under a tub or tuck it away beneath a bed. A lamp is meant to be placed on a stand, where its light can fill the room and serve those who are gathered there. In this short parable, Jesus is speaking about the light of faith placed within us. It is not something private or concealed, but something meant to be visible, shared, and life-giving. The Church, and each of us as members of it, is called to be a light, allowing the presence of Christ to shine through the world.
This image challenges us though to consider what kind of Church we are becoming. A Church that hides its light, absorbed by its own fears or difficulties, failures in its mission. Or a Church that turns outward, open and generous, being a beacon for others. When we dare to witness the Gospel with courage, the light grows stronger rather than weaker. And the more freely we share the light we have received, the more brightly it will burn, the more it will attract people to the Church.
Our painting by Georges de La Tour shows a penitent Mary Magdalene seated in deep darkness, illuminated by a single candle. The light is small, fragile, and yet it transforms everything: her face, her posture, her whole inner world. Nothing dramatic happens, and yet everything changes by a single flame. It is a perfect visual echo of Jesus’ parable: the light is not hidden, not spectacular, but placed where it can quietly reveal Truth. The painting reminds us that faith does not shine by noise or force, but by being faithfully set alight... and once lit, even a single flame can draw others out of the darkness. Mary Magdalene is further shown with a mirror, symbol of vanity; a skull, emblem of mortality; and the candle that rebferences her spiritual enlightenment.
The Penitent Magdalen, Painting by Georges de La Tour (1593–1652), Painted circa 1640Oil on canvas© The Metropolitan Museum, New York
Thursday of week 3 in Ordinary Time
Come, let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 3. Liturgical Colour: Green.
Other saints: Bl Archangela Girlani (1460-1495)
29 Jan (where celebrated)
Blessed Archangela Girlani was born Eleanor Girlani in 1460 at Trino, in northern Italy, to a noble family. At age seventeen, she, along with her two sisters, Maria and Frances, took the Carmelite habit in the monastery at Parma. Eleanor took the religious name Archangela. She later become prioress of the monastery at Parma, and then prioress at a new foundation at Mantua in 1492. She died at Mantua in January 1495 in her third year as prioress there. Apart from her role of service to the monasteries in which she was prioress, Archangela’s Carmelite life is remembered as one permeated by strivings in the mystical life of prayer. Her frequent prayer was “Jesus, my Love.”
Other saints: Bl. Villana de' Botti OP (1332 - 1361)
29 Jan (where celebrated)
Lay Dominican and Wife.
Blessed Villana, the daughter of a rich merchant, was born at Florence in 1332. She married the wealthy Pietro Benitendo and together with her husband lived a worldly life which their wealth sustained. Realizing the emptiness of her life, Villana went to the friars of Santa Maria Novella to confess her sins and ask for the habit of the sisters of Penance of St. Dominic. She took up the study of scripture and the contemplation of Christ crucified and drew other women to follow her example. She died on January 29, 1361.
Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket?
Gospel:Mark 4:21-25
At that time: Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.’ And he said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’
Reflection on the painting
Jesus was an artist. He was a master at painting images in our minds. He often teaches by using simple, everyday images, and in today’s Gospel he offers us the image of a lamp. He reminds us that no one lights a lamp only to hide it under a tub or tuck it away beneath a bed. A lamp is meant to be placed on a stand, where its light can fill the room and serve those who are gathered there. In this short parable, Jesus is speaking about the light of faith placed within us. It is not something private or concealed, but something meant to be visible, shared, and life-giving. The Church, and each of us as members of it, is called to be a light, allowing the presence of Christ to shine through the world.
This image challenges us though to consider what kind of Church we are becoming. A Church that hides its light, absorbed by its own fears or difficulties, failures in its mission. Or a Church that turns outward, open and generous, being a beacon for others. When we dare to witness the Gospel with courage, the light grows stronger rather than weaker. And the more freely we share the light we have received, the more brightly it will burn, the more it will attract people to the Church.
Our painting by Georges de La Tour shows a penitent Mary Magdalene seated in deep darkness, illuminated by a single candle. The light is small, fragile, and yet it transforms everything: her face, her posture, her whole inner world. Nothing dramatic happens, and yet everything changes by a single flame. It is a perfect visual echo of Jesus’ parable: the light is not hidden, not spectacular, but placed where it can quietly reveal Truth. The painting reminds us that faith does not shine by noise or force, but by being faithfully set alight... and once lit, even a single flame can draw others out of the darkness. Mary Magdalene is further shown with a mirror, symbol of vanity; a skull, emblem of mortality; and the candle that rebferences her spiritual enlightenment.
The Penitent Magdalen, Painting by Georges de La Tour (1593–1652), Painted circa 1640Oil on canvas© The Metropolitan Museum, New York