MAY 02, 2012 : MEMORIAL OF SAINT ATHANASIUS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 281

Reading 1 Acts 12:24?13:5a

The word of God continued to spread and grow.

After Barnabas and Saul completed their relief mission,
they returned to Jerusalem,
taking with them John, who is called Mark.

Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
"Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them."
Then, completing their fasting and prayer,
they laid hands on them and sent them off.

So they, sent forth by the Holy Spirit,
went down to Seleucia
and from there sailed to Cyprus.
When they arrived in Salamis,
they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6 And 8

R. (4) O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Jn 12:44-50

Jesus cried out and said,
"Whoever believes in me believes not only in me
but also in the one who sent me,
and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.
I came into the world as light,
so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.
And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them,
I do not condemn him,
for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.
Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words
has something to judge him: the word that I spoke,
it will condemn him on the last day,
because I did not speak on my own,
but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.
And I know that his commandment is eternal life.
So what I say, I say as the Father told me."

Meditation: "I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness"

What kind of darkness does Jesus warn us to avoid? It is the darkness of unbelief and rejection – not only of the Son who came into the world to save it – but rejection of the Father who offers us healing and reconciliation through his Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ last public discourse before his death and resurrection (according to John’s Gospel), Jesus speaks of himself as the light of the world. In the scriptures light is associated with God's truth and life. Psalm 27 exclaims, The Lord is my light and my salvation. Just as natural light exposes the darkness and reveals what is hidden, so God's word enables those with eyes of faith to perceive the hidden truths of God's kingdom. Our universe could not exist without light – and no living thing could be sustained without it. Just as natural light produces warmth and energy – enabling seed to sprout and living things to grow – in like manner, God's light and truth enables us to grow in the life he offers us. Jesus' words produce life – the very life of God – within those who receive it with faith.
To see Jesus is to see God. To hear his words is to hear the voice of God. He is the very light of God that has power to overcome the darkness of sin, ignorance, and unbelief. God's light and truth brings healing, pardon, and transformation. This light is not only for the chosen people of Israel, but for the whole world as well.  Jesus warns that if we refuse his word or take it lightly, we choose to remain in spiritual darkness. Jesus made it clear that he did not come to condemn us, but rather to bring abundant life and freedom from the oppression of sin, Satan, and a world opposed to God's way of life. We condemn ourselves when we reject God's word of truth, life, and wisdom. It is one thing to live in ignorance due to lack of knowledge and understanding, but another thing to disdain the very source of truth who is Christ Jesus, the Word of God sent from the Father. Jesus says that his word – which comes from the Father and produces eternal life in us – will be our judge. Do you believe that God's word has power to set you free from sin and ignorance and to transform your life in his way of holiness?
Saint Augustine of Hippo (5th century) summed up our need for God's help in the following prayer: God our Father, we find it difficult to come to you, because our knowledge of you is imperfect. In our ignorance we have imagined you to be our enemy; we have wrongly thought that you take pleasure in punishing our sins; and we have foolishly conceived you to be a tyrant over human life. But since Jesus came among us, he has shown that you are loving, and that our resentment against you was groundless.
God does not leave us in spiritual darkness – in our ignorance and unbelief. He gives light, wisdom, and grace to all who seek him and hunger for his word. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit he helps us to grow daily in faith, knowledge, and understanding of his word. Do you want to know more of God and his transforming love? Look to Jesus, the Light of God, and in his truth you will find joy, freedom, and wholeness of mind, body and soul.
"Lord Jesus, in your word I find life, truth, and freedom. May I never doubt your word or forget your commandments. Increase my love for your word that I may embrace it fully in my life."

(Don Schwager)

O God, let all the nations praise you!

‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’
Barnabas pops up in so many places in the Book of Acts. He is described as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and one who encourages. He had a positive nature and a generous spirit, especially where people were in need of help. Can you think of someone in your life who needs encouragement? Someone suffering from fear, who is anxious, physically ill, or under great pressure, someone who is lonely or has failed at a task? Your phone call, letter, visit or encouraging word can be like oxygen to their soul.

Lord, help me today to be like Barnabas. Help me to encourage others, to bring hope back into their hearts so that they can move on to greater faith in you.
(Daily Prayer Online)

MINUTE MEDITATIONS 

Who We Are
We are formed by environment and grace, by politics and prayer, by church and conscience. All God’s creatures conspire to teach us as well. We stumble. We stutter. We rise. We are lifted.
— from Saint Anthony of Padua

May 2
St. Athanasius
(295?-373)

Athanasius led a tumultuous but dedicated life of service to the Church. He was the great champion of the faith against the widespread heresy of Arianism, the teaching by Arius that Jesus was not truly divine. The vigor of his writings earned him the title of doctor of the Church.

Born of a Christian family in Alexandria, Egypt, and given a classical education, Athanasius became secretary to Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria, entered the priesthood and was eventually named bishop himself. His predecessor, Alexander, had been an outspoken critic of a new movement growing in the East—Arianism.
When Athanasius assumed his role as bishop of Alexandria, he continued the fight against Arianism. At first it seemed that the battle would be easily won and that Arianism would be condemned. Such, however, did not prove to be the case. The Council of Tyre was called and for several reasons that are still unclear, the Emperor Constantine exiled Athanasius to northern Gaul. This was to be the first in a series of travels and exiles reminiscent of the life of St. Paul.
After Constantine died, his son restored Athanasius as bishop. This lasted only a year, however, for he was deposed once again by a coalition of Arian bishops. Athanasius took his case to Rome, and Pope Julius I called a synod to review the case and other related matters.
Five times Athanasius was exiled for his defense of the doctrine of Christ’s divinity. During one period of his life, he enjoyed 10 years of relative peace—reading, writing and promoting the Christian life along the lines of the monastic ideal to which he was greatly devoted. His dogmatic and historical writings are almost all polemic, directed against every aspect of Arianism.
Among his ascetical writings, his Life of St. Anthony (January 17) achieved astonishing popularity and contributed greatly to the establishment of monastic life throughout the Western Christian world.

Athanasius'Shrine (where a portion of his relics are preserved) under St.Mark's Cathedral, Cairo, Egypt.

Comment:

Athanasius suffered many trials while he was bishop of Alexandria. He was given the grace to remain strong against what probably seemed at times to be insurmountable opposition. Athanasius lived his office as bishop completely. He defended the true faith for his flock, regardless of the cost to himself. In today’s world we are experiencing this same call to remain true to our faith, no matter what.

St.Athanasius (1883-84), by Carl Rohl-Smith, Frederik's church, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Quote:

The hardships Athanasius suffered in exile, hiding, fleeing from place to place remind us that Paul said his ministry took him: “[O]n frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own race, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights, through hunger and thirst, through frequent fastings, through cold and exposure. And apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:26-28).

Statue of the saint in St.Athanasius' Roman Catholic Church in Evanston, Illinois, USA.