Living Among Us

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Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, Teacher of the Faith, 373 - Memorial
Eve of Easter V

Today's Readings:
[ Sir 51:13-22; Ps 71:1-8; Jn 1:1-18 ]

The Church remembers Athanasius of Alexandria as a defender of the truth that Christ is fully God, “of one being with the Father.” That truth shines clearly in today’s Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. Athanasius held fast to this mystery even when it cost him exile and opposition. For him, this was not abstract theology... it was the heart of salvation. If Christ is not truly God, then we are not truly redeemed.

From a Franciscan perspective, this takes on a deeply relational and incarnational beauty. The eternal Word through whom “all things came into being” is the same Word who “became flesh and lived among us”. God does not remain distant. In Christ, God draws near, enters creation, and embraces it from within. Francis of Assisi delighted in this humility of God—this divine condescension that lifts us up.

The reading from Sirach echoes this sense of seeking and being found: “While I was still young, before I went on my travels, I sought wisdom openly in my prayer”. There is a longing here, a persistence. Wisdom is not passive; it is pursued, desired, loved. Athanasius sought this wisdom in Christ, and he refused to compromise when others distorted it. His life becomes a witness that truth is worth clinging to, even when it isolates us.

The psalmist gives voice to that same trust: “In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame”. This is not the confidence of someone who has easy answers, but of someone rooted in God’s faithfulness.

Today’s readings invite us to hold together two things: the grandeur of Christ as the eternal Word, and the nearness of Christ who dwells among us. Athanasius reminds us that what we believe about Jesus matters deeply. The Franciscan tradition reminds us that this truth is not cold doctrine, but a living relationship.

So we pray for the grace to seek wisdom with persistence, to trust God with courage, and to recognize in the Word made flesh the One who comes not only to reveal God—but to bring us into God’s very life.

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