2 May 2023

2 May 2023

Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Athanasius, a bishop, and doctor of the Church. He was an early Church Father who defended the faith against the Arian heresy, but that came with consequences, as he was exiled several times for taking such a stance. Despite that, he always sought the truth even when it was inconvenient. He was a faithful bishop, but what does it mean for us today to imitate his example?

In his time, the Church was still settling on what it meant to be orthodox. Knowing who was right regarding the big theological questions was difficult. Today, after millennia of tradition, Church dogma is much more accessible and clearly articulated than in his time. However, St. Athanasius teaches us that to be a good faithful follower of Christ means to be loyal to God and to seek the truth no matter the cost. It is more about being committed to finding truth and being loyal to Christ and His Church.

In Scripture today, we see in Acts that Barnabas goes to Antioch and “encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart” (Acts 11:23). Being faithful is less about having the correct opinion or doctrine that you subscribe to in your mind, although this is important. Instead, maybe being faithful is more like being committed to Christ as a spouse is faithful to their partner. Athanasius shows us how we can commit to Christ intellectually and with a “firmness of heart” that is worth imitating in our own lives.