2 May, Tuesday – Knowing God

May 2 – Memorial for St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor

St. Athanasius (c.295) studied the classics and theology in Alexandria, Egypt. He was a deacon, secretary, and student of Bishop Alexander of Alexandria. He attended the Council of Nicaea in 325 where he fought for the defeat of Arianism and the acceptance of the divinity of Jesus. He formulated the doctrine of homo-ousianism which says that Christ is the same substance as the Father; Arianism taught that Christ was different and a creation of the Father, a creature and not part of God.

He became Bishop of Alexandria c.328 and he served for 46 years. When the dispute over Arianism spilled over from theology to politics, Athanasius got exiled five times, spending more than a third of his episcopate in exile.

He was the biographer of St. Anthony the Abbot. Confessor of the faith and Doctor of the Church, he fought for the acceptance of the Nicene Creed.

• Patron Saint Index

Acts 11:19-26
Jn 10:22-30

I know them and they follow me

How do we know somebody? Is it through the various identification papers which he/she has, or even the occupation in which they are engaged in? Such an approach is what the world adopts, but it certainly is not what we are called to do. The readings of today remind us that God knows each one of us by name.

The faith we hold is a gift from God. This faith allows us to discover the breadth and depth of God’s love for us as seen in Jesus Christ dying for our sins. This is something which is easy for us to comprehend, but we can appreciate the fact that God wants us to know Him as well as He knows us.

God the Holy Spirit is with us in our lives. He will show us the way in which we can know God and He will allow our actions and words to manifest themselves in a way which will be aligned with God’s plan. Being called Christian means we need to become Christ-like. Patience, forgiveness and generosity are the fruits of being a Christian. Let us ask God to grant us the grace to share these gifts with the people around us.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, grant us the ability to live a life in line with what your Son has called us to do so.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all who show us what it means to be Christian.