May 2: Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, Theologian, Doctor

On May 2 we remember one of the giants in the Faith: St. Athanasius. According to Lesser Feasts and Fasts, "rarely in the history of the Church has the course of its development been more significantly determined by one person than it was by Athanasius in the fourth century" (248). Whenever we say the Nicene Creed and confess that "we believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father," we owe, in large measure, that orthodox articulation of our Faith to St. Athanasius.

In the fourth century, Athanasius, often as a minority spokesman, spoke out vigorously against the heretical views of Arius. Yes, it's true, as Sam Portaro notes, "Arius was partially right; most heretics are. Jesus was a man, a mere mortal" (Brightest and Best: A Companion to the Lesser Feasts and Fasts, 83). Indeed, our Lord was fully human; he spent nine months in the womb of Mary, he went to school to learn how to read, he ate passover meals and drank passover wine, he wept, slept, worked in a carpenter shop, took boat rides, read Scriptures, spoke out against hypocrisy and misdirected piety, upset temple tables, lived a life of celibacy and poverty, announced the arrival of the Reign of God, and eventually died as a common criminal. But at the same time, without denying any of his manliness and humanity, Jesus was fully divine. As the eternal Word of God, Jesus created and still creates the world, loved Abraham, journeyed with the people of Israel, stilled a wild sea storm, turned water into wine, miraculously multiplied food, brought the dead back to life, healed lepers, and absolutely forgave and forgives sin. As Robert Capon in The Fingerprints of God rightly tells us, "His Godhead was 100 percent God, without a scrap of humanity in it; and his humanity was 100 percent human, without a scrap of Deity in it. Each was utterly true to its own nature, completely itself and none other; and yet each was perfectly one with the other in the Person of the Word of God" (106). We owe a great debt of theological gratitude to Athanasius for helping the Church preserve and live by that Mystery, the Incarnation. Like C. S. Lewis, you may enjoy (as several of us have during the past month) one of Athanasius most popular writings, On the Incarnation.

Uphold your Church, O God of truth, as you upheld your servant Athanasius, to maintain and proclaim boldly the catholic faith against all opposition, trusting solely in the grace of your eternal Word, who took upon himself our humanity that we might share his divinity; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.