Our Venerable Father Athanasius of Athos (c. 1003)
Galatians 5:22-6:2; Luke 6:17-23
Polyeleos Feast.
Read Galatians 5:22-6:2
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Today we commemorate St. Athanasius of Athos who was a very gifted man both in Spirit and intellect. From early on he had a desire to enter into monastic life and the Lord opened the door for him to do so. As a young man he received monastic tonsure and became a monk. The Lord had plans for him to establish a monastery on Mount Athos (Greece) and this was accomplished with the support of wealthy patrons who unexpectedly had a great desire to support this worthy project. The monastery built by St. Athanasius is called the Great Lavra which from 963 and to this day occupies the first place among the twenty monasteries on the peninsula of Mount Athos.
Many times he was privileged to see Our Lady, the Mother of God, with his own eyes. She granted him consolation and encouragement to persevere in the project and his monastic duties. On one occasion when a famine had erupted and the monks had nothing to eat many of the monks left the monastery and even St. Athanasius was about to leave when the Mother of God appeared to him asking him why he was abandoning the monastery, ‘which was intended for glory from generation unto generation, just for a morsel of dry bread? Where is your faith? Turn around, and I shall help you.’ And help she did. To commemorate this encounter she instructed St. Athanasius to strike the ground and a fresh water spring burst forth—the spring continues to flow even to this day.
We see in St. Athanasius’ life the amazing things that can happen when we cooperate with the will of God. God not only had a plan for him, but has a plan for each of us. It can unfold in a marvellous way if only we desire Him like St. Athanasius: If we seek out, strive to come closer to and submit ourselves to the Lord. Do I have an inner desire to come closer to God? Do I strive to discover and align my will to the will of God? Am I willing to offer myself, my gifts and talents for the glory of God and the building up of His Church?