Thursday, December 7, 2017

Memorial of Saint Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church

(Isaiah 26:1-6; Matthew 7:21.24-27)

St. Ambrose was the Roman governor of the region around Milan before he became bishop of the city.  Although he had not even been baptized when elected bishop, he did have a fine sense of theology.  At least, he knew that the teaching of the Arians was mistaken.  The Arians believed that Christ was not God.  Such an idea not only runs contrary to much of the New Testament, it also compromises the efficacy of Baptism.  Ambrose was quickly baptized and ordained priest and bishop.  He continued to defend the teaching of the  Council of Nicea and the Church of Rome that Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Word of God, equal with the Father and Holy Spirit.

Today’s first reading speaks of  a strong city that keeps faith.  Milan under the tutelage of St. Ambrose exemplifies this kind of city.  The gospel  compares Jesus’ words with a house built on rock.  By teaching Trinitarian doctrine, Ambrose was able to strengthen the foundation of biblical faith in his people.

The crisis produced by the Arian heresy is associated with the great feast that we are now anticipating.  On the twenty-fifth of the month we will celebrate the birth of the God-human.  It is nothing other than a mystery which invokes our attention and meditation.  Considering St. Ambrose, a great defender of the doctrine, should help us be more attentive to its meaning for us.

Friday, January 2, 2014

Memorial of Saint Basil and Saint Gregory Naziazen, bishops and doctors of the Church

(I John 2:22-28; John 1:19-28)

Today we honor two giants of Eastern Christianity – Saints Basil and Gregory  Nazianzen.  These bishops, who were the best of friends, took up the fight against the persistent heresy of Arianism.  This distortion of Christian belief teaches that Christ was not really God but of a different nature, more than human yet not wholly divine like the Father.

Arianism is but one of many attempts to understand who Jesus is.  The readings today hint at others.  In the first reading John the Elder signals as equality between God the Father and God the Son when he writes, “…whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.”  John the Baptist in the gospel betrays a rudimentary knowledge of the coming Messiah, who has not yet come on the scene, as he says, “’(his) sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.’”

A cousin of Arianism has reappeared in our time.  We see it in the homogenization of religion which considers each faith tradition as essentially equal to others.  In this formulation Jesus is not God but a prophet much like Moses and Mohammad.  Although this thinking appeals to many as brutes make religion the cause of war, it fails to comply with orthodox Christian belief.  We believe in Christ as we believe in God the Father.  He came to us as human so that communing with him, we share in God’s divine nature and inherit an eternal destiny.