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| St. Ignatius of Antioch |
From a letter to the Romans
In the year 107, under the reign of Emperor Trajan, was
sentenced to death because of his refusal to renounce the Christian faith. He was taken under guard to Rom where he was
brutally devoured by wild beasts in a public spectacle. His holy martyrdom, the shedding of his
blood, was a culmination of a life lived conformed to Jesus Christ.
by Saint Ignatius of Antioch,
bishop and martyr
My earthly
desires
have been crucified
The delights of this world and all its kingdoms will not
profit me. I would prefer to die in
Jesus Christ than to rule over all the earth.
I seek him who died for us, I desire him who rose for us. I am in the throes of being born again. Bear with me, my brothers; do not keep me
from living, do not wish me to die. I
desire to belong to God; do not give me over to the world, and do not seduce me
with perishable things. Let me see the
pure light, when I am there, I shall be truly a man at last. Let me imitate the sufferings of my God. If anyone has God in him, let him understand
what I want and have sympathy for me, knowing what drives me on.
The price of this world would snatch me away and destroy my
desire to be with God. So let none of
you who will be there give him help; side rather with me, that is, with
God. Do not have Jesus Christ on your
lips and the world in our hearts. Give
envy no place among you. And if, when I
get there, I should beg for your intervention, pay no attention to me; no, believe
instead what I am writing to you now.
For I write to you while I yet live, but I long for death. My early desires have been crucified, and
there no long burns in me the love of perishable things, but a living water
speaks within me, say: “Come to the Father.”
I take no delight in corruptible food or in the pleasures of
this life. I want the bread of God,
which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was David’s seed, and for drink I want
his blood, the sign of his imperishable love.
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| Martyrdom of St. Ignatius of Antioch by Cesar Fracanzano |
I no longer wish to live, as men count life. And I shall have my way, if you wish it
so. Wish it, then, so that you too may
have God’s favor. With these few words I
beg you to believe me. Jesus Christ will
make plain to you the truth of what I say; he is the true voice that speaks the
Father’s truth. Pray for me that I may
reach my goal. I have written to you not
prompted by merely human feelings and values, but by God’s purpose for me. If I am to suffer, it will be because you
loved me well; if I am rejected, it will be because you hated me. Remember in your prayers the church of Syria:
it now has God for its shepherd instead of me.
Jesus Christ alone will be its bishop, along with your love. For myself, I am ashamed to be counted among
its members, for I do not deserve it, being the least of all, born out of due
time. Yet, if I attain to God, by his
mercy I shall be something. I greet you
from the heart, and so do the churches that have welcomed me in love not as a
mere passerby but as the representative of Jesus Christ. Yes, even the churches that were not on my
route humanly speaking, though spiritually on the same journey, were there to
meet me in city after city.
taken from the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) June 10
St. Ignatius of Antioch
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| St. Ignatius of Antioch |
Feast Day October 17
St. Ignatius of Antioch was the second bishop of Antioch,
Syria. He was the beloved disciple of
John and was consecrated a Bishop around the year 69 by the Apostle Peter, the
first Pope. He was deeply loved by the
faithful because of his holiness. He
defended “orthodoxy” (the right teaching) and “orthoproxy” (the right practice)
among the early Christians.
He journeyed through Asia Minor and Greece and and wrote
sevn letters of encouragement, instruction and inspiration to the Christians in
those communities. The letter written
above is a prime example of his great faith and teachings.
St. Ignatius of Antioch was the first to use the term “Catholic”
to describe the whole Church. His
letters serve as a unbroken and clear teaching of the Apostles which was given
to them directly by Jesus Christ.
In the year 107, under the reign of Emperor Trajan, was
sentenced to death because of his refusal to renounce the Christian faith. He was taken under guard to Rom where he was
brutally devoured by wild beasts in a public spectacle. His holy martyrdom, the shedding of his
blood, was a culmination of a life lived conformed to Jesus Christ.
“Permit me to imitate my suffering God… I am God’s wheat and
I shall be ground by the teeth of beasts, that I may become the pure bread of
Christ.”
Information gathered from Catholic Online
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