Feasts of Meskerem 20
✞✞✞On this day we commemorate the departure of Abba Athanasius the Archbishop✞✞✞
✞✞✞In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen!✞✞✞
✞✞✞Abba Athanasius, Archbishop✞✞✞
=>The word bishop means father, leader or shepherd. According to the teachings of the Church, in the New Testament there are generally 3 spiritual ranks of authority. They are the deacon, priest and bishop. And they have 9 subdivisions under them. And from these, the highest one is the bishop.
✞Being a bishop means protecting Christ’s flock as He did. This authority, on earth is a “burden, debt” but in heaven is “glory”. No one, unless one is tough upon his flesh, wants the episcopate.
✞Taking what St. Paul said, “If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work” 1Tim. 3:1 at face value and saying “Ordain me” is a hard choice that will get on thrown into an unquenching fire. This is because one Christian will be asked for his/her sins but a priest will also be asked for his spiritual children. And the worst one is that of the bishop’s.
✞Even if one bishop fasts and prays, it won’t be not enough for his salvation. This is because He [God] put him on the See to keep his flock and not himself [alone]. As the Lord said, “the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Therefore, the priesthood, being a bishop, the apostolic commission is a huge responsibility.
✞Our fathers the apostles and their disciples have established great bishopric Sees, and passed the teaching with its cathedra. And from these Sees, 4 are principals. They are the See of St. Peter at Rome, the See of St. John at Antioch, St. Mark’s the See of Alexandria and St. Paul’s the See of Ephesus.
✞These Sees have stayed together after the ascension of Christ until the Council of Chalcedon in the year 443 E.C. (451A.D.) and then they separated. From these Sees, the Alexandrian (Egypt’s) and the Antiochian (Syria’s) are intact to this day with their Miaphysite (Tewahedo) faith.
✞And as our Church is apostolic, It remembers and commemorates, on their feast days, bishops that rose and were like the apostles and did the same. Particularly, fathers that were in Egypt have paid much and so honors them exceptionally.
✞Including the present Abune Tawadros, there have been 118 archbishops of Alexandria, most of which were kind. At least, they saw the monastic life, were compassionate for the flock and endured, at different times, imprisonment and exile.
✞Among these, one was called Abba Athanasius the second. This father was the 28th Patriarch upon the See of Mark. In the 5th century that he was in, the Church divided into 2. The time was trying as exile was declared up on fathers of Tewahedo.
✞Abba Athanasius was born in Egypt, grew up, learned scripture, and lived with the choice of asceticism; and he served humbly after they appointed him a sacristan for the church. And at that time, Egypt had lost its Patriarch and was looking for a shepherd; and the eyes of the people and the scholars were up on the saint.
✞And after all counseled together, they said to him, “You are deserving of this appointment”. But he replied, “No! I don’t qualify for such an authority.” This was the proper conduct of Christianity. It is a great insolence to say, “I can keep” the flock of Christ.
✞But “they held him forcefully” and ordained him. And he took the flock without discontinuing his personal labors. Since, the heretics were in their multitudes, he fought with discourse and writing to protect the people. And after keeping, by the aid of God, for seven years, the people from wolves, his body became wearied. And on this day, he parted this cruel world and passed away.
✞✞✞ May the God of the forefathers make our fathers compassionate to the flock. And may He grant us from the blessings of His beloved.
✞✞✞ Annual feasts celebrated on the 20th of Meskerem
1. Abba Athanasius the Second
2. St. Malidama (Melitina), Virgin
3. St. Athena, Virgin
4. St. Simeon of Jerusalem
5. St. Abraham the Monk
