Thought for the Day – 17 October – The Memorial of St Ignatius of Antioch (c 35 – 107) Father of the Church, Martyr
Tradition holds that St Ignatius was one of the many small children whom Jesus personally took in His arms and blessed. He was a student and follower of St John the Apostle. Simon Peter appointed St Ignatius to serve as Bishop of Antioch. His service and successes were great but perhaps inevitably, St Ignatius was arrested by Roman soldiers and taken to Rome, where he was sentenced to death at the Coliseum, for his Christian teachings, practices and faith.
Some of St Ignatius Letters to the Ephesians, Romans and others have survived. Many were modelled on the New Testament writings of St Paul, St Peter and St John.
From a letter to the Ephesians by Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr
(Nn. 13-18,1: Funk 1, 183-187)
Have Faith in Christ and Love
Try to gather together more frequently to give thanks to God and to praise Him. For when you come together frequently, Satan’s powers are undermined and the destruction that he threatens, is done away with, in the unanimity of your faith. Nothing is better than peace, in which all warfare between heaven and earth is brought to an end.
None of this will escape you if you have perfect faith and love toward Jesus Christ. These are the beginning and the en – of life: faith the beginning, love the end. When these two are found together, there is God and everything else concerning right living follows from them. No-one professing faith sins, no-one possessing love hates. A tree is known by its fruit. So those who profess to belong to Christ will be known by what they do. For the work we are about, is not a matter of words here and now but depends on the power of faith and on being found faithful to the end.
It is better to remain silent and to be, than talk and not be. Teaching is good if the speaker also acts. Now there was one teacher who spoke and it was made and even what He did in silence is worthy of the Father. He who has the word of Jesus can truly listen also to His silence, in order to be perfect, that he may act through his speech and be known by his silence. Nothing is hidden from the Lord but even our secrets are close to Him. Let us then do everything in the knowledge that He is dwelling within us, that we may be His temples and He, God within us. He is and will reveal Himself, in our sight, according to the love we bear Him in holiness.
Make no mistake, my brothers, those who corrupt families will not inherit the kingdom of God. If those who do these things in accordance with the flesh have died, how much worse will it be if one corrupts, through evil doctrine, the faith of God for which Jesus Christ was crucified? Such a person, because he is defiled, will depart into the unquenchable fire, as will anyone who listens to him.
For the Lord received anointing on His head, in order that He might breathe incorruptibility on the Church. Do not be anointed with the evil odour of the teachings of the prince of this world, that he may not lead you captive away from the life that is set before you. But why is it that we are not all wise when we have received the knowledge of God, which is Jesus Christ? Why do we perish in our stupidity, not knowing the gift the Lord has truly sent us?
My spirit is given over to the humble service of the Cross which is a stumbling block to unbelievers but to us salvation and eternal life.
St Ignatius of Antioch, Pray for Us!
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