MAY 2, 2017
8:45 AM ORDINARY FORM MASS (4TH GRADE)
St. Athanasius was born in 296 in the town of Alexandria. (Does anyone remember who was the first bishop of Alexandria? Last week's Feast Day was St. Mark, the first bishop of Alexandria!)
When he was a boy, he was playing at the beach, and he was playing at baptizing his friends. The bishop of Alexandria noticed this, and called the boys over. He assured them that water was the proper matter for baptism, and saying "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Was the proper form for baptism. So, that, indeed they were baptized!
The bishop then provided for their education and catechesis in the Faith.
In 319, Athanasius was ordained a deacon and in 325 attended the Council of Nicea. The heresy or error of that time was that people didn't want to believe that Jesus was God. Certain emperors, kings, and authorities thought this way, and many bishops and priests went along with the politicians just because it was easier.
Athanasius taught against this error, and at the Council of Nicaea pressed for the Apostolic teaching of the Faith, namely, that Jesus was indeed God and man. The word we use in the Nicene Creed (i.e. the Creed we use on Sundays and Solemnities) "consubstantial" was used by Athanasius (or at least the Greek equivalent "homousius.") The Arians pretended to approve the Creed, but started leaving out the "N" saying "co-substantial" (or in Greek, they added a letter, "homoiusius") to promulgate their error while lying that they believed what the Council of Nicaea taught.
Athanasius continued to teach against the errors of the Arians, and in 328 was made bishop and patriarch of Alexandria.
The Arians still had political friends, and they made us lies about Athanasius (one being that he was going to interfere with grain shipments and trade to the Imperial capital); and so over the next several years, he was exiled five times by his enemies within the Emperor's court.
He was exiled first to Germany (where it's cold), then to Rome, then to "upper" Egypt (which is in the southern desert, but it's "upstream" on the Nile River), then outside of his own town of Alexandria, and finally back to upper Egypt. Everywhere he was exiled to, he was welcomed as a defender of the true Faith, and allowed to teach and perform the duties of a bishop. Sending letters to the people in Alexandria encouraging them to persevere in the truths of the Catholic Faith.
He died in 373, having been restored to his diocese in Alexandria, at the age of 77.
