October 17: Saint Ignatius of Antioch / San Ignacio de Antioquía

As soon as the Apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, they went forth from Jerusalem to preach the Gospel and establish the Church. St. John the Apostle is said to have preached in Jerusalem and then in Asia Minor (Turkey). One of his early disciples was St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, whom we honor today on his feastday.

Severe persecutions hounded the early Church and St. Ignatius was not exempted. He was arrested and given a death sentence (in Rome, the heart of the Empire). During his journey to Rome, St. Ignatius wrote seven letters to various Church communities along the way. One of the most touching sentiments found in these letters is his burning desire to become “a sacrificial victim for God.” He beautifully expresses his interior longing to become a martyr for Christ and pleads with the Christians in Rome not to stand in the way of his martyrdom. His desire was fulfilled when he was mauled to death by lions in Rome.

St. Ignatius continually exhorted the Christian communities to preserve the unity they enjoyed in Christ. He wrote and spoke in a very fatherly way, expressing with heartfelt love that the people needed to remain deeply united with each other in Christ. He is thought to be the first to refer to the Church as “Catholic,” meaning universal and full.

For more: https://faith.nd.edu/saint/st-ignatius-of-antioch/

***

San Ignacio, discípulo del Apóstol San Juan y Obispo de Antioquía en el siglo I, fue arrestado y condenado a ser arrojado a las fieras. Cuando iba hacia Roma, varias comunidades de cristianos lo recibieron con suma veneración. Él se lo agradeció afectuosamente en cartas escritas durante su viaje; les animó a adherirse firmemente a la fe y a permanecer unidos a la jerarquía “como cuerdas de una lira.” Les pidió a ellos no impedir que muriera como mártir, porque “Yo soy trigo de Cristo; que los dientes de los leones me muelan, para así poder ser el pan sin mancha de Cristo.”
 También nosotros nos convertimos en el pan de Cristo y nuestra vida debe convertirse en una “eucaristía,” una ofrenda de acción de gracias con el mismo Jesucristo.

Oremos. “Oh Dios, concede a tu pueblo, por intercesión de San Ignacio, el poder seguirle de modo que nuestro ardiente amor y nuestra fe profunda lleven vida y alegría a muchos. Te lo pedimos por Cristo nuestro Señor. Amen”