Athanasius – On the incarnation
……………….. (21) Have no fears then. Now that the common Saviour of all has died on our behalf, we who believe in Christ no longer die, as men died aforetime, in fulfillment of the threat of the law. That condemnation has come to an end; and now that, by the grace of the resurrection, corruption has been banished and done away, we are loosed from our mortal bodies in God’s good time for each, so that we may obtain thereby a better resurrection.
Like seeds cast into the earth, we do not perish in our dissolution, but like them shall rise again, death having been brought to nil by the grace of the Savior. That is why blessed Paul, through whom we all have surety of the resurrection, says: “This corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality; but when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory?'”
Note: St. Athanasius was born around the year 295 AD, in Alexandria. He became the secretary of the Bishop Alexander. Both were present at the Council of Nicaea (325 AD), because Athanasius accompanied his bishop. Three years later he succeeded Alexander. He was the one who defended the Creed of Nicaea with all his strength, against the Arians who denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ. He died in Alexandria in the year 373 AD after many exiles that were also confirmed by the Emperors, because he was irremovable in defending the creed of Nicaea against the Arians. His very last years were spent in peaceful glory with a glorious, peaceful and blessed age.
Reflection: Jesus brought to humanity the glory of God and divine Peace. The Glory of God is seen in the mystery of the incarnation and experienced in the Paschal mystery. The Peace brought to us by the Saviour is felt and experienced in the forgiveness of sins. No last word pertains to death itself. We are born in Christ, we die in Christ and we are resurrected through Christ our Lord. No darkness can switch off the light of our faith in the Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. The power of the Resurrected Christ penetrates all our difficulties and crisis’. If we carry the cross we will also be raised from the darkness of our lives. We are born to eternal life through Jesus Christ himself and all that disturbs our life with God can be stopped through our Faith in Him who is life. Faith is God’s gift given to us by the Most High to have life in its fullness. All glory and honor is yours, God Almighty, forever and ever. Amen!
Creed: …….We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures.( the Nicene-Constantinople Creed)
Prayer: (St. Francis of Assisi ) …………Give us this day, Thy beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, our daily bread: to remember and understand and reverence the love which He had for us , and those things, which He did, said or endured for us. And forgive us our debts: by Thy ineffable mercy, through the virtue of the Passion of Thy beloved Son and by the merits and intercession of the Blessed Virgin and all Thy elect. As we forgive our debtors: and what we do not fully forgive, may Thou, Lord, make us, fully forgive, so that we may truly love our enemies for the sake of Thee and intercede devoutly for them with Thee, returning to none evil for evil (cf. 1 Thes 5:15) and striving to advance all unto Thee. And lead us not into temptation: hidden or manifest, sudden or importune. But deliver us from evil: past, present, and future.