This May 2 (Friday), the Catholic Church celebrates the universal memorial of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria—the Defender of Christ’s Divinity!
Athanasius was born to wealthy Egyptian parents who gave him a solid secular education. His schooling allowed him to master Greek and familiarize himself with the day’s leading philosophical and theological theories. Once, Athanasius and his friends played near the seashore and decided to baptize each other out of fun. Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria, saw them and brought them in for questioning. He discovered they had used the proper form and matter, which meant the sacrament was valid. The bishop then encouraged the boys to pursue clerical careers. Athanasius followed his advice and was ordained as a deacon.
His entrance into the Church was timely—a priest named Arius was spreading the error that Christ was not of the same godhead as the Father and was, therefore, a creature like the rest of humanity. When the bishop died, Athanasius was elected to take his place, and he focused all his knowledge and energy toward combatting the Arian movement. The debate became so intense that Athanasius was exiled no less than five times by political leaders sympathetic to the Arian cause. Even the Pope himself was sent to prison, where he was coerced into signing a pro-Arian document and excommunicating Athanasius (both orders were largely ignored since they were made under duress and possibly torture).
Due to the widespread support of kings and bishops, the crisis reached such a degree that most of Christendom became infected with the heresy. Few people supported Athanasius, but he continued his writings defending the validity of Jesus’ divinity. Eventually, the leadership changed, and the orthodox positions of the Incarnation and the Trinity slowly took root once again, allowing Athanasius to return home. He died peacefully in his sleep and is universally recognized as the main instrument that prevented Arianism from overcoming the Church.
Many Catholics today grapple with a distorted view of the Magisterium that can fall into two extremes—either the bishops must be right about everything, or the bishops must be wrong about everything. This can lead to clericalism on the one hand or rebellion on the other. The balanced attitude of Athanasius can prove enlightening to those who are reeling on the deck of Peter’s Boat because of the unsteady hands of its captains: Athanasius was adamant in defending his position but never to the point of separating himself from his colleagues. Christ’s Church is stronger than any one man, and Athanasius knew it. He remained steadfast in his defense of doctrine but did not succumb to the all-too-real temptation of thinking that the fate of Christianity depended solely on him.
The deposit of faith is always pure. Dirt may stick to its surface, but the passage of time ultimately washes away all errors.
Like Athanasius, let us remain confident in our Lord’s promise that the gates of hell will never prevail against His Church.
Saint Athanasius, pray for us!
|Painting used: Icon of Saint Athanasius by Unknown
Beloved Son
This May 2 (Friday), the Catholic Church celebrates the universal memorial of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria—the Defender of Christ’s Divinity!
Athanasius was born to wealthy Egyptian parents who gave him a solid secular education. His schooling allowed him to master Greek and familiarize himself with the day’s leading philosophical and theological theories. Once, Athanasius and his friends played near the seashore and decided to baptize each other out of fun. Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria, saw them and brought them in for questioning. He discovered they had used the proper form and matter, which meant the sacrament was valid. The bishop then encouraged the boys to pursue clerical careers. Athanasius followed his advice and was ordained as a deacon.
His entrance into the Church was timely—a priest named Arius was spreading the error that Christ was not of the same godhead as the Father and was, therefore, a creature like the rest of humanity. When the bishop died, Athanasius was elected to take his place, and he focused all his knowledge and energy toward combatting the Arian movement. The debate became so intense that Athanasius was exiled no less than five times by political leaders sympathetic to the Arian cause. Even the Pope himself was sent to prison, where he was coerced into signing a pro-Arian document and excommunicating Athanasius (both orders were largely ignored since they were made under duress and possibly torture).
Due to the widespread support of kings and bishops, the crisis reached such a degree that most of Christendom became infected with the heresy. Few people supported Athanasius, but he continued his writings defending the validity of Jesus’ divinity. Eventually, the leadership changed, and the orthodox positions of the Incarnation and the Trinity slowly took root once again, allowing Athanasius to return home. He died peacefully in his sleep and is universally recognized as the main instrument that prevented Arianism from overcoming the Church.
Many Catholics today grapple with a distorted view of the Magisterium that can fall into two extremes—either the bishops must be right about everything, or the bishops must be wrong about everything. This can lead to clericalism on the one hand or rebellion on the other. The balanced attitude of Athanasius can prove enlightening to those who are reeling on the deck of Peter’s Boat because of the unsteady hands of its captains: Athanasius was adamant in defending his position but never to the point of separating himself from his colleagues. Christ’s Church is stronger than any one man, and Athanasius knew it. He remained steadfast in his defense of doctrine but did not succumb to the all-too-real temptation of thinking that the fate of Christianity depended solely on him.
The deposit of faith is always pure. Dirt may stick to its surface, but the passage of time ultimately washes away all errors.
Like Athanasius, let us remain confident in our Lord’s promise that the gates of hell will never prevail against His Church.
Saint Athanasius, pray for us!
|Painting used: Icon of Saint Athanasius by Unknown
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