A Reflection based on St. John Henry Newman’s sermon, “Keeping Fast and Festival”

May 1
4 min read

May 1, 2026

by FFrances

“A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Eccl 3:4)

The idea of Eastertide is not really one that imposes itself on the secular world. Easter eggs are in the shops on Boxing Day*, Christmas cards by Easter Monday. But taking time to relish the seasons of the liturgy bears fruit. We are still in this period of Eastertide, rejoicing in the resurrection, and awaiting the coming of the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The secular world has not yet thought of a way of monetizing Eastertide. But in previous times, these seasons would have been clearly demarcated in the lives of the populace. John Henry Newman, an English vicar in Oxford, who caused great turbulence in the church when he converted to Catholicism, was known as a great preacher, his church was packed on Sundays by people coming to hear him preach. His sermons are all published and of great interest. He takes an idea and examines it very carefully, scrutinizing it from all angles, and thus offering new insights. He reflected on Eastertide in his sermon, Keeping Fast and Festival. What follows are some ideas from his sermon.

At Christmas we joy with the natural, unmixed joy of children, but at Easter, though we be joyful, it is a thoughtful joy. Easter comes after the rigors of Lent, the intensity of the Passion and Good Friday. It is a quieter joy, as if we are inclined to say little, like sick people convalesce when the crisis is past, the illness over but strength not returned,

… “they will go forth to the light of day and the freshness of the air, and silently sit down with great delight under the shadow of that Tree, whose fruit is sweet to their taste…to muse and be at peace.”

For the joy at Easter is bound up with sorrow. In sickness, too, the mind wanders from things that are seen, into the unknown world, into contact with transcendent things. A person recovering from sickness has had experiences which now seem to them to be dreamlike but somehow more powerful because they have been experienced in the body, the flesh. A woman’s memory of childbirth is a similar thing.

People who do not follow the seasons do not experience the same degree of joy.

“None rejoice in Eastertide less than those who have not grieved in Lent. Feast day and fast day, holy tide and other tide are one and the same to them.”

The Gospels are just history to them. They don’t make the life and death and resurrection of Jesus present to themselves in repeating over and over the history in their acts of worship. So, they aren’t very interested in it. They turn to religion only in a time of trial or perhaps temptation, and feel they are better off never having sorrowed or struggled to maintain righteousness. Is this the meaning of “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” ? That is to say, one cannot know the full measure of the comfort of the love and healing power of God unless one has had the experience of loss and sorrow. This is not to say one should long for suffering an extreme position subscribed to by some theologies, but to acknowledge that suffering is just an inevitable part of the human condition.

So let us continue to notice and rejoice in this period of Eastertide, 50 days after the 40 of Lent. The Apostles after the Resurrection, must have waited, alert and anxious to see the Risen Lord, catching glimpses of him and hoping for more. The Gospel accounts convey a sense of that tender and joyful melancholy of pleasure after pain. Mary Magdelen weeping at the sepulchre, seeing Jesus and not knowing him, recognizing his voice, attempting to embrace him, then rising and hastening to tell the perplexed Apostles. On that third meeting when he stood on the shore and addressed his disciples and Peter plunged into the water, then with the rest ate the fish in silence and so remained in the presence of One whom they loved, till he broke the silence by asking Peter if he loved him.

And consider the deep silence of Mary after the Resurrection. May we partake in such calm and heavenly joy; but not forget while we are still on earth, our faith must be vigorous and lively. The calmer our hearts, the more active our lives.; the more tranquil we are, the more busy. In mere bread and wine, God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty, the foolish things to confound the wise.

Wishing you silence, tranquility and calm in Christ this Eastertide.

* Boxing Day is a public bank holiday in England. Celebrated on December

26. It is rooted in a tradition of giving to the poor and service employees.

Today, it is commonly used for shopping in major post-Christmas sales.

Song for Reflection: Sunrise, Sara Thomsen, Here and Gone, ASCAP (2026).

https://youtu.be/fYXPTzd8BJ0?si=h3peQ845TxGQ8xyU (no video)

Refrain: Sunrise, open the day

Red and purple, come play

Birdsong, color a way, teach me to pray

Sundown, painting the sky

Red and gold singing goodbye

While the whippoorwill welcomes the night