Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
(Acts 15:7-21; John 15:9-11)
Today the Church celebrates another saint of enormous
proportions. Saint Athanasius deserves
attention for being a creative theologian.
He developed the insight of Christ’s having a divine nature together with
the Father and the Holy Spirit. This complemented
Christ’s human nature. Inasmuch as Christ
has existed from all eternity in the Trinity, it is said that he is a divine
person with two natures.
Athanasius was also a popular writer. His classic biography of the desert monk, St.
Anthony, was a kind of bestseller in the days of pen and papyrus. The book not only made Anthony famous but also
a model of saintly perfection.
Finally, Athanasius had the privilege of suffering for
Jesus. His Arian enemies, who believed
that Christ did not share the same divinity as the Father, continually harassed
him. For a hefty portion of his long
career as bishop of Alexandria he lived in exile. No doubt he found in his trials a way to draw
close to the Lord who died on the cross.
