2 May 2018
Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
St. Athanasius fought the Roman Empire and won. Athanasius was opposed by fellow Christians, beaten by mobs, and repeatedly exiled by imperial authorities. But he was determined to proclaim that Jesus was God, and that “God became man that so that man might become God.” Athanasius wanted everyone to know that God walked alongside them, and wanted to make them His equal.
Fittingly for someone who fought so much in his life, the Gospel for Athanasius’ feast has Jesus tell the Apostles that “you will all be hated because of my name” (Mt. 10:22). Not everyone believes that God has come to be with them, and wants to make them—and all people—His equal. This is our own struggle today: to show people what God is calling them to be, and that God wishes not only them, but all those around them, to be His equal.