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A Stubborn Saint
A Holy Stick-in-the-Mud
Thursday, May 2 , 2024
Dear Friends in Christ,
In the early 4th century, Arius, an ambitious young priest of Alexandria, Egypt trotted out a new theory: the Word of God was not God; the Son was not equal to the Father. So the bishops of the world convened in Nicaea, condemned Arianism, and promulgated the Nicaean Creed. Jesus is “true God from true God.” We’d like to think that once the Church defined the doctrine that the Christian world fell into line. Unfortunately, the Arian heresy perdured. Later that same century Saint Jerome wrote, “The whole world groaned and was astonished to find itself Arian.”
Saint Athanasius, whose feast we celebrate today, was present at the Council of Nicaea as a young deacon and secretary to the Archbishop of Alexandria. He himself became Archbishop of that same city and for 45 years remained stalwart in defense of the divinity of Christ – even as the rest of the world groaned under the yoke of Arianism.
An essential point of this story is that Athanasius looked like a stick-in-the-mud. Everyone else, so it seemed, was Arian. Why couldn’t he just get along? He held out when almost nobody else did. The pressure not to look like a hold out or obstructionist must have been enormous. He was opposed by many of his brother bishops and exiled repeatedly. It was cancel culture, 4th century style.
Athanasius remained firm in the true faith and was ultimately vindicated. Arianism eventually died out (heresy is always sterile) and the Christian world now recognizes Athanasius’s witness as essential.
It’s a good example to keep in mind. You might feel (or be made to feel) like a stick-in-the-mud, an obstructionist. We feel the pressure to give in to today’s heresies about the human person. You might suffer this even within your own families – when you won’t approve of someone’s choices or use the preferred pronouns or go along with the redefinition of marriage and family…
Athanasius shows us that the world needs holy stick-in-the-muds. That is, those who will keep to the truth, even when everyone else looks askance. The greater part of the Christian witness is to stand firm about what is true – about God, about man and woman, about human sexuality, and about the family. This is not a matter of being rude or obstinate. It’s a matter of being faithful to the truth so that your fidelity – like Athanasius’s – serves as a beacon for others.
Updates…
First Friday Food Distribution…is tomorrow! Please consider placing one of the following items into the baskets at the back of the church for our tomorrow’s Food Distribution: small bags of rice or beans, canned meats (chicken or tuna), plain pasta, pasta sauce, cereal, peanut butter, jelly or a hearty soup. Please no glass, large or bulk-sized items. The current inventory is low.
This Saturday is the day of First Communion for children in our Parish! Please pray for them and their families – that this be the first of many reverent and fruitful receptions of our Lord in the Eucharist – and that it be a time of renewal and deeper conversion for their families.
This Saturday is also First Saturday and we have our Nocturnal Adoration in honor of Our Lady of Fatima. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed at 7:30pm tomorrow, and reposed before the 8:30am Mass on Saturday. We still have many openings for the late night/early morning hours. Please sign up for an Adoration timeslot.
Monsignor Thomas Shreve, RIP. I received word the other day that Monsignor Tom Shreve of the Diocese of Richmond passed away. He was a native son of Falls Church (yes, of the Shreve family for whom the road is named) and an alum of Saint James. He was ordained when all of Virginia was the Diocese of Richmond and stayed down there when the Arlington Diocese was created. Please rattle the beads for the happy repose of his soul.
Our Gabriel Project…is assisting a mom with an 18-month-old toddler boy. She is in need of a sturdy stroller (jogger stroller) since she primarily walks and takes buses; and suitable clothing for an 18-month boy. If you can help, please email Anne Colevas at [email protected]
Vacation Bible School…is July 15th to 19th. Registration is now open! Go here for more information.
Contigo Youth Club changes children’s lives through a unique combination of faith, nature, recreation, and creative exploration. It provides a healthy environment and enriching opportunities for at-risk kids from the Bailey’s Crossroads/7 Corners area. While every child’s family contributes something, tuition covers less than 25% of costs. Your tax-deductible gift can make this someone’s best summer ever! A $1500 gift covers the cost for one camper to spend 7 weeks —350 hours— at Camp Contigo this summer. Donate online.
Suspending Adoration…er, that is suspending the times of Adoration! As announced previously, we will be renovating our confessionals in the coming weeks. To get the work done in a reasonable amount of time, we need to cut into Adoration hours on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and First Friday. I hope this slight inconvenience will pay off with better confessionals.
The One Thing… One of the most common resolutions among Catholics is, “I need to pray more.” Great. Beautiful. But in a busy daily life filled with work, family, social and other engagements, that’s hard to put into practice. Still, it’s a great realization and resolution. Prayer is vital for our souls and our sanity.
Jesus told his friend Martha that the one thing necessary was to spend time listening attentively to him. How can we practically do this today?
Join us on May 20th at 630pm in Monsignor Heller Hall for prayer, discussion, and practical tips on how to put God first today and every day. Our presenter and guide will be Josh Dart from The Evangelical Catholic.
An Easy Yolk
I like pancakes and omelets. But a boiled egg is hard to beat.
Through the intercession of our Lady and Saint James, may the Lord bless and keep you.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Scalia