Mass for the Council of Catholic Women May Crowning
Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Athanasius, a bishop of the third century and a Doctor of the Church. He was a dedicated defender of the faith against heresy, and is especially known for defending the divinity of Our Lord. We have Saint Athanasius to thank for many words in the Liturgy, most especially in the Nicene Creed:
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
We also use his words in a prayer you don’t usually get to hear. It’s a private prayer of the priest as prepares the cup by putting a tiny bit of water into the chalice of wine during the offertory: “Through the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”
The Arians, led by the priest Arius in the third century, rejected that message – they did not believe in Jesus’ divinity. They believed there was a time before Jesus existed, that he was not consubstantial with the Father, but rather was created by the Father. This position denies the divinity of Christ, which is an unacceptable position for our faith. If Christ is not divine, he has no power to save us, and we are still dead in our sins. God forbid!
Athanasius was also a great friend of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As much as he defended our Lord’s divinity, he exalted Mary for being the temple in which he resided. He wrote, “O noble Virgin, truly you are greater than any other greatness. For who is your equal in greatness, O dwelling place of God the Word? To whom among all creatures shall I compare you, O Virgin? You are greater than them all. O [Ark of the New] Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the Ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is, the flesh in which divinity resides. Should I compare you to the fertile earth and its fruits? You surpass them, for it is written: “The earth is my footstool” (Isa. 66:1). But you carry within you the feet, the head, and the entire body of the perfect God.”
Saint Athanasius so loved the Blessed Virgin that he composed this prayer to her:
It is becoming for you, O Mary,
to be mindful of us,
as you stand near Him
who bestowed upon you all graces,
for you are the Mother of God and our Queen.
Come to our aid for the sake of the King,
the Lord God and Master who was born of you.
For this reason you are called “full of grace.”
Be mindful of us, most holy Virgin,
and bestow on us gifts
from the riches of your graces,
O Virgin full of grace.
We are grateful to Saint Athanasius for defending the faith so that we can celebrate it today, and for loving the Blessed Virgin, whom we crown today.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!