On Saturday. 2nd May, the Church remembers St Athanasius (aka Athanasius the Great and Athanasius the Confessor), bishop of Alexandria and teacher of the faith. He was the champion of the orthodox faith against the Arrian heresy which at the moment was a major threaten to the doctrine of the Church. To the point that He is called the "Father of Orthodoxy," the "Pillar of the Church" and "Champion of Christ's Divinity. He lived an eventful life and suffered exile (several times) from his diocese and persecution for his uncompromising defence of the faith against his Arian opponents. Finally, under the emperor Valens, Athanasius was restored permanently. Over the course of his life, Athanasius was banished five times and spent 17 years of his life in exile for the defense of the doctrine of Christ's divinity. However, the last years of his life were peaceful and he died on May 2, 373 in Alexandria. St. Athanasius is an accomplished example of what we are studying in the Letter of Jude. A person who fights courageously for the faith of Jesus Christ and who confronts false teachers without caring about the consequences for himself. From him we can learn the intensity and dedication with which he loved the word and message of Christ and the passion, courage and fortitude with which he defended them.
Let us continue, then, with our study of the letter of Jude and ask God that, like St. Athanasius, we may be defenders of the evangelical truth in the face of error and regret that they try to destroy or dilute it. Amen.
Jude 17-25
Read Jude 17-25. Read the passage as many times as you need, until you have understood all the words and have grasped the meaning of the text, its general sense. Then try and answer the next questions which in turn will be of great help to fully understand the text and apply it to your daily life.
1.- What is it that is so important for believers to remember, according to verse 17 (see 2 Pet. 3:1–3)? Read Acts 20:29–30 for an example.
2.- Using “but” in verse 20, Jude contrasts the beloved with the scoffers. If scoffers are worldly people who cause divisions and are devoid of the Spirit (vv. 18–19), what should believers look like (vv. 20–23)?
3.- Reflect on what befell those who did not keep themselves in the love of God (vv. 5–13). What would it look like for you to better keep yourself in the love of God? What does the repetition of “yourselves” imply (vv. 20–21)?
4.- In verse 21 Jude says that one way we keep ourselves in the love of God is by “waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.” But in verse 2 he prays for mercy to be “multiplied” to us. The word “waiting” (v. 21) means “to look forward to” (Mark 15:43; Titus 2:13). How do we receive mercy and wait for mercy at the same time?