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Office Of Readings | Sunday, Lent Week 5 | From The Easter Letters Of Saint Athanasius | Jesus Is The Feast Of Easter | Jesus Is Both Priest And Sacrifice
‘We keep the Lord’s feast which is coming, not in words but in action.’
Christ As The Feast Itself
Saint Athanasius opens this Easter letter with a theological affirmation of Jesus Christ’s total and continuous presence among his people. Christ is not only the Redeemer and Teacher but becomes the very substance of the feast:
‘He has come among us as our feast and holy day as well.’
In this image, Athanasius collapses the categories of subject and object. Christ is not only the one who invites us to the feast; he is the feast. The sacrificial lamb, the priest who offers it, and the table at which it is shared—these are all fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. This theological density reflects Athanasius’ wider understanding of the Incarnation: that in Christ, God has assumed all dimensions of our reality to redeem them.
The Paschal Mystery And The Christian Life
The reference to Christ as the true Passover (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:7) anchors this reflection firmly in the Paschal Mystery. For Athanasius, the Christian feast is not a commemoration of a past event but a living participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. The liturgical celebration is thus inseparable from the moral and spiritual transformation of the believer. As he writes:
‘True joy, genuine festival, means the casting out of wickedness.’
Athanasius draws attention away from mere ritual observance and toward the ethical and contemplative demands of the feast. The one who would celebrate must first be purified—not merely ritually, but morally and spiritually.
This reflects the deep connection in the early Church between liturgy and ethics, a connection that is frequently obscured in modern practice. For Athanasius, you cannot keep the feast if you are not keeping the commandments.
Examples Of The Saints | Rejoicing Through Righteousness
To illustrate what such a celebration looks like, Athanasius invokes the figures of David, Moses, Samuel, and Elijah—those who, in the Old Testament, lived lives of worship and devotion. Their joy came not from external festivities but from lives dedicated to prayer, worship, and holiness. David rises seven times during the night to pray (cf. Psalm 119:164); Moses sings a hymn of deliverance at the Red Sea (Exodus 15); Elijah lives a life of radical fidelity to the covenant.
Athanasius positions these figures as precursors to Christian sanctity:
‘Because of their holy lives they gained freedom, and now keep festival in heaven.’
He presents them not only as historical examples but as models for Christian living in the present. Holiness is not decorative or optional—it is the prerequisite for celebration.
The Feast As Participation, Not Performance
As the letter continues, Athanasius deepens his exhortation. The celebration of the feast is not an external act but a movement of the whole self:
‘We keep his feast by deeds rather than by words.’
This aphorism crystallizes the pastoral thrust of the entire passage. Athanasius is not denigrating liturgical observance or doctrinal confession, but he is warning against their separation from the life of virtue. Keeping the feast ‘in truth’ means following Christ along the way of righteousness, humility, and charity.
He ties this to discipleship, quoting Christ’s words: ‘I am the way.’ The feast is not only something one enters into, but a way of life, marked by obedience and moral clarity. Lent, then, is the preparation not simply for liturgy but for transformation.
Purification Through The Word
In one of the more theologically rich moments of the letter, Athanasius draws a contrast between the ritual purification of the Old Testament and the spiritual cleansing offered by Christ:
‘In former times the blood of goats… purified only the body. Now… everyone is made abundantly clean.’
This evokes the argument of the Letter to the Hebrews (especially chapters 9–10), where Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice replaces the repeated sacrifices of the old covenant. Athanasius adds a specifically Alexandrian note: purification is not merely juridical or external—it is ontological. It changes the person from within. Christ, the Word of God, purifies through his grace and makes the soul fit for the contemplation of God.
Foretaste Of The Heavenly Jerusalem
Athanasius concludes with an eschatological vision:
‘If we follow Christ closely we shall be allowed, even on this earth, to stand as it were on the threshold of the heavenly Jerusalem.’
This echoes the already-but-not-yet dimension of Christian life. The heavenly liturgy, of which the Eucharist is a participation, is not only future but present. Insofar as the believer follows Christ through repentance, righteousness, and love, he or she already stands within the vestibule of eternal life.
From The Easter Letters Of Saint Athanasius
The Word who became all things for us is close to us, our Lord Jesus Christ who promises to remain with us always. He cries out, saying: ‘See, I am with you all the days of this age.’ He is himself the shepherd, the high priest, the way and the door, and has become all things at once for us. In the same way, he has come among us as our feast and holy day as well. The blessed Apostle says of him who was awaited: ‘Christ has been sacrificed as our Passover.’ It was Christ who shed his light on the psalmist as he prayed: ‘You are my joy, deliver me from those surrounding me.’ True joy, genuine festival, means the casting out of wickedness. To achieve this one must live a life of perfect goodness and, in the serenity of the fear of God, practise contemplation in one’s heart.
This was the way of the saints, who in their lifetime and at every stage of life rejoiced as at a feast. Blessed David, for example, not once but seven times rose at night to win God’s favour through prayer. The great Moses was full of joy as he sang God’s praises in hymns of victory for the defeat of Pharaoh and the oppressors of the Hebrew people. Others had hearts filled always with gladness as they performed their sacred duty of worship, like the great Samuel and the blessed Elijah. Because of their holy lives they gained freedom, and now keep festival in heaven. They rejoice after their pilgrimage in shadows, and now distinguish the reality from the promise.
When we celebrate the feast in our own day, what path are we to take? As we draw near to this feast, who is to be our guide? Beloved, it must be none other than the one whom you will address with me as our Lord Jesus Christ. He says: ‘I am the way.’ As blessed John tells us: it is Christ ‘who takes away the sin of the world.’ It is he who purifies our souls, as the prophet Jeremiah says: ‘Stand upon the ways; look and see which is the good path, and you will find in it the way of amendment for your souls.’
In former times the blood of goats and the ashes of a calf were sprinkled on those who were unclean, but they were able to purify only the body. Now through the grace of God’s Word everyone is made abundantly clean. If we follow Christ closely we shall be allowed, even on this earth, to stand as it were on the threshold of the heavenly Jerusalem, and enjoy the contemplation of that everlasting feast, like the blessed apostles, who in following the Saviour as their leader, showed, and still show, the way to obtain the same gift from God. They said: ‘See, we have left all things and followed you.’ We too follow the Lord, and we keep his feast by deeds rather than by words.
In the Bible, a miracle is an event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency. Miracles are often seen as a sign of the intervention of God in the affairs of human beings. In the Old Testament, the most famous miracles are the Ten Plagues of Egypt, in which God punished the Pharaoh for refusing to release the Israelites from slavery, and the parting of the Red Sea, in which God allowed the Israelites to escape from the pursuing Egyptians by opening a path through the sea. In the New Testament, the miracles of Jesus are a central part of his ministry and are seen as evidence of his divinity. These include healings, such as the restoration of sight to the blind and the raising of the dead, and acts of nature, such as turning water into wine and walking on water. Is There A Theological Significance To Jesus’ Miracles? In the Christian tradition, the miracles performed by Jesus are seen as a manifestation of his divinity and as proof of his authority to teach and heal. Many of these miracles are described in the Gospels of the New Testament, which are the primary source of information about the life and teachings of Jesus. The purpose of the miracles, according to the Gospels, was to demonstrate Jesus’ power over natural forces and to show that he had the authority to forgive sins and offer salvation to those who believed in him. Why Did Jesus Ask To Keep His Miracles Secret? ‘Tell No One Of This.’ In the Gospels, there are a few instances where Jesus tells people not to tell others about what he has done for them. For example, in the Gospel of Matthew, after Jesus healed a man who was possessed by demons, he told the man, ‘See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a proof to them’ (Matthew 8:4). In this case, it seems that Jesus was concerned that the man’s testimony might not be believed or might be misunderstood, and so he asked him to keep the experience to himself for the time being. It is difficult to say for sure why Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle without knowing the specific context in which the request was made. However, some possible reasons that come to mind include: To avoid drawing unnecessary attention to himself. In the Gospels, Jesus often tries to avoid drawing too much attention to himself, especially from the authorities who are hostile to him. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might be one way of avoiding unwanted attention and allowing Jesus to continue his ministry without interference. To allow the person who was healed to experience the transformation for themselves. In some cases, the person who was healed might have been skeptical or unsure of what had happened to them. Asking them to keep quiet about the miracle might have given them time to reflect on the experience and come to their own understanding of it without being influenced by others. To test the person’s faith. In some cases, Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle as a test of their faith. If they were truly grateful for what Jesus had done for them, they would be willing to follow his instructions and trust that he had a good reason for asking them to keep quiet. These are just a few possible reasons why Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle. It is important to remember that the Gospels are ancient texts and that we must be careful not to impose our own interpretations on them without considering the historical and cultural context in which they were written. To avoid creating conflict or division. In the Gospels, Jesus often encounters people who are skeptical or hostile to his teachings, and he sometimes tries to avoid confrontations with them. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might be one way of avoiding a confrontation or a heated debate that could disrupt his ministry. To avoid being misunderstood or misrepresented. In some cases, the person who was healed might not have understood the full significance of what Jesus had done for them, and they might have tried to explain it in a way that distorted or misrepresented the truth. Asking them to keep quiet might have given Jesus time to explain things to them more fully and help them to understand the true meaning of the miracle. To avoid becoming a spectacle. In the Gospels, there are many instances where people are amazed by the miracles that Jesus performs, and they often try to make him into a kind of celebrity or showman. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might have been one way of avoiding this kind of attention and keeping the focus on the message that Jesus was trying to convey. What Is The Significance Of Miracle Of The Wedding At Cana? In the Christian tradition, the wedding at Cana is significant because it is the first of the miracles performed by Jesus that is recorded in the Gospels of the New Testament. This event is described in the Gospel of John, where it is said that Jesus, along with his mother Mary and his disciples, attended a wedding in the town of Cana. At the wedding, the host ran out of wine, and Mary asked Jesus to help. In response, Jesus turned water into wine, which is seen as a miraculous act that demonstrated his power and authority. In the Gospel of John, after Mary asks Jesus to help with the wine at the wedding in Cana, he replies, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). 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