Today we celebrate the Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. Before writing this, I asked for the intercession of St. Athanasius and I found this quote that I think is fitting for today’s Gospel: “The Lord did not come to make a display. He came to heal and to teach suffering men. For one who wanted to make a display the thing would have been just to appear and dazzle the beholders. But for Him Who came to heal and to teach the way was not merely to dwell here, but to put Himself at the disposal of those who needed Him…”
In today’s Gospel the Jews ask Jesus to “tell them plainly” whether He is the Christ or not. Jesus’ response challenges their faith: “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me”. Jesus has been preaching and performing miracles. The people who ask Jesus if He is the Christ are familiar with both His words and His works and Jesus reminds them of that. He has revealed His identity through His deeds and if the people who witness those deeds do not recognize Jesus for who He is, it is a lack of faith on their part.
The same goes for us today. Jesus has fully revealed Himself to us as the Incarnate Son of God. He remains present with us in the Eucharist. It is we who need to have faith in Him and follow Him; that is how we will gain eternal life. We are also reminded in this Gospel that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are His flock. He is the one who will lead us to eternal life. He knows each one of us and cares for us individually. As St. Athanasius says, God became man not merely for show but to suffer as we suffer and to reveal Himself to us.
May we, following the example of St. Athanasius, put our faith fully in the One who gave Himself fully for us.
St. Athanasius, pray for us!
Hoy celebramos la Memoria de San Atanasio, Obispo y Doctor de la Iglesia. Antes de escribir esto, pedí la intercesión de San Atanasio y encontré esta cita que me parece apropiada para el Evangelio de hoy: “El Señor no vino a hacer ostentación. Vino a sanar y a enseñar a los hombres que sufrían. Para quien quisiera hacer una exhibición, la cosa hubiera sido solo aparecer y deslumbrar a los espectadores. Pero para Aquel que vino a sanar y a enseñar el camino no era solamente habitar aquí, sino ponerse a disposición de los que Le necesitaban…”
En el Evangelio de hoy, los judíos le piden a Jesús “dínoslo claramente” si eres el Cristo o no. La respuesta de Jesús desafía su fe: “Ya se lo he dicho y no me creen. Las obras que hago en nombre de mi Padre dan testimonio de mí”. Jesús ha estado predicando y realizando milagros. Las personas que le preguntan a Jesús si es el Cristo están familiarizadas tanto con Sus palabras como con Sus obras y Jesús les recuerda de eso. Ha revelado Su identidad a través de Sus hechos y si las personas que son testigos de esos hechos no reconocen a Jesús por lo que es, es falta de fe de su parte.
Lo mismo ocurre con nosotros hoy. Jesús se ha revelado plenamente a nosotros como el Hijo de Dios encarnado. Permanece presente con nosotros en la Eucaristía. Somos nosotros los que tenemos que tener fe en Él y seguirlo; así obtendremos la vida eterna. También se nos recuerda en este Evangelio que Jesús es el Buen Pastor y nosotros somos Su rebaño. Es quien nos llevará a la vida eterna. Conoce a cada uno de nosotros y nos cuida individualmente. Como dice San Atanasio, Dios se hizo hombre no para lucir sino para sufrir como nosotros sufrimos y para revelarse a nosotros.
Que nosotros, siguiendo el ejemplo de San Atanasio, pongamos nuestra fe plenamente en Aquel que se entregó plenamente por nosotros.
¡San Atanasio, ruega por nosotros!
Dakota lives in Denver, CO with her husband, Ralph, and their two sons, Alfie & Theophilus. She is the Dean of Enrollment Management for Bishop Machebeuf High School where her husband also teaches. You can find Dakota at the zoo or a brewery with her family or with her nose in a book at home. For more of Dakota’s writing check out https://dakotaleonard16.blogspot.com/
Feature Image Credit: Gime Salvatelli, cathopic.com/photo/9761-cuerpo-de-cristo