St Athanasius: Defender of divine truth

T

oday we honor St Athanasius, a giant of faith, known as the champion of orthodoxy and defender of Christ’s divinity during one of the most turbulent theological controversies in Church history.

In the fourth century, a priest named Arius taught that Jesus was not truly God but merely a creature—exalted, yes, but not divine. This heresy, Arianism, shook the foundations of the Church. To address it, the Council of Nicaea was convened in 325 AD, where the Church, led by courageous bishops like Athanasius, declared what we still proclaim every Sunday: “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God…”

Athanasius defended that truth at great personal cost. He was exiled five times, hounded by emperors, slandered, and even hunted. But he never gave up, because he understood this: if Jesus is not God, then salvation is impossible. Only God can save.

Now fast forward nearly 1,700 years. A recent survey in the United States asked Catholics a simple question: “Was Jesus just a great teacher but not God?” Shockingly, more than half said yes. This reveals a serious crisis—not only in doctrine, but in the heart.

This is where today’s Gospel sheds light.

We see Jesus feeding the five thousand. The crowd had followed him not out of boredom, but because they had seen the signs—healings, wonders, hope. Jesus sees their hunger and tests his disciples: “Where can we buy enough food?” Philip is overwhelmed. Andrew notices a small boy with five loaves and two fish—but it seems insufficient.

Yet Jesus takes what little is offered, blesses it, and feeds the multitude—with abundance. Not only were all filled, but twelve baskets were left over. Notice what the Gospel says: “Jesus distributed to those who were reclining as much as they wanted.”

This miracle was not just about food. It was a sign—a glimpse of the deeper truth: that Jesus is not just a teacher or a prophet. He is the one who satisfies the deepest hunger of the human heart—the hunger for God, for meaning, for eternal life.

That’s what Athanasius fought for. Not just theology, but the truth of who Jesus is—because everything else flows from that. As he famously said: “God became man so that man might become God.”

Jesus did not come merely to improve us or to inspire us. He came to unite us to divine life. And this union is possible only if Jesus is truly God and truly man.

In today’s world, many are content with a Jesus who teaches, but uncomfortable with a Jesus who rules as Lord. Some admire his ethics, but not his divinity. But that kind of faith cannot multiply. It cannot nourish. It leaves people spiritually malnourished. We need to recover what the early Church fought so hard to defend—a faith that rests not on opinion or trend, but on the Rock who is Christ. A faith that proclaims, in word and deed, “Jesus is Lord.”

The Gospel ends with a telling moment: “Jesus knew they were going to carry him off to make him king, so he withdrew.”

Jesus rejects the crown of human expectation. He came not to be a worldly king, but to be the Bread of Life, broken and given for the world.

And Athanasius, too, did not seek applause or position. When he returned from his fifth exile, the people of Alexandria greeted him with joy—not because he had power, but because he had fed them with the truth of Christ.

Let us then remain firm in our belief—not just in a good man from Nazareth, but in the Word made flesh who alone can satisfy every hunger. Let us offer him even our small faith, like five loaves and two fish, and allow him to multiply it into abundance.

St Athanasius, defender of divine truth, pray for us. Amen. Fr JM Manzano SJ