Catholics are often called upon by God to make a courageous
stand in defense of truth while facing the world’s opposition. St. Athanasius was one of the great defenders
of truth in the Church’s history.
In the 4th century, Alexandria, Egypt was a major
center of Christian activity and thinking.
Around the year 323 a priest named Arius began to teach what is now known
as the Arian heresy, that “Jesus, though more than man, was not eternal God,
that he was created in time by the Eternal Father, and could therefore be
described only figuratively as the Son of God”.
Though this heresy was quickly condemned by the patriarch of
Alexandria and by the Council of Nicaea
in 325, Arianism spread like wildfire.
In 326 Athanasius was made bishop of Alexandria. As he stridently defended the doctrine of
Jesus’ divinity, he faced opposition from emperors, magistrates, and many
intellectuals of his day.
As he often seemed to stand alone in his position, his
contemporaries said of him, “Athanasius contra mundi”, or “Athanasius against
the world.”
Bishop Athanasius was exiled from his diocese by Arian
heretics five times—spending 17 years of his life in exile. Yet, from exile, he continued to write
against the heresy and teach the true faith.
He is known in Church history as the hammer of heretics.
There are times when it seems we are standing alone in
preaching the Catholic faith. But we are
never truly alone; when we stand up for truth, we are always in communion with
the great fathers of the Church, with the Apostles, and the Lord Himself, who
called himself Truth.
Commitment to Christ means commitment to Truth. In an age of cultural relativism and moral
error, our world needs the truth of Christ preached clearly, consistently, and courageously. May we like the great Saint Athanasius, have
the fortitude and perseverance to defend the true faith without counting the
cost for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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