Quote/s of the Day – 17 October – The Memorial of St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35-c 107) Father of the Church
“Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips
and the world in your heart.”
“We recognise a tree by its fruit
and we ought to be able to recognise
a Christian by his action.
The fruit of faith should be evident in our lives,
for being a Christian is more than making
sound professions of faith.
It should reveal itself in practical and visible ways.
Indeed it is better to keep quiet about our beliefs
and live them out,
than to talk eloquently about what we believe
but fail to live by it.”
“It is not that I want merely
to be called a Christian
but to actually BE ONE.
Yes, If I prove to be one,
then I can have the name!”
“Wherever the bishop shall appear,
there let the multitude also be;
even as, wherever Jesus Christ is,
there is the Catholic Church.”
“He who died in place of us,
is the one object of my quest.
He who rose for our sakes
is my one desire.”
“My dear Jesus, my Saviour,
is so deeply written in my heart,
that I feel confident,
that if my heart were to be cut open
and chopped to pieces,
the name of Jesus would be found
written on every piece.”
“Christianity is greatest when it is hated by the world.”
“My dear Jesus, my Saviour,
is so deeply written in my heart,
that I feel confident,
that if my heart were to be cut open
and chopped to pieces,
the name of Jesus would be found
written on every piece.”
I am looking everywhere for this quote — do you know where it is from? I’ve searched the letters of St. Ignatius, and cannot find it.
Thank you!
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Dear Gregory I too know that quotation! I will do my best to find it for you, Speak soon. God bless.
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Actually, it turns out I can’t find it past its appearance in what is apparently Protestant romantic literature, Martyr’s Mirror. I believe there is a source given, but if the online editions are what I thought they were when I scanned them, they’re not in English or Greek, but some Germanic language, and very, very old ones, at that.
So I doubt Ignatius actually wrote that, or that there are reliable historical records indicating that he said that. Too bad. I love the quote.
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I wasn’t sure about St Ignatius at all but I mentioned it to another Catholic – very well read – friend this morning and we both thought it might not be him. Hmmmmm
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Gregory, I have found those words quoted by others in many places but no reference to where St Ignatius supposedly said it, i.e. The Epistles – so still unsure.
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