Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
Lectionary: 471
Lectionary: 471
Brothers and
sisters:
In Christ we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
In Christ we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
Responsorial Psalm PS 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be
his own.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Gospel LK 12:1-7
At that time:
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
Meditation: "Do
not fear those who kill the body"
What does leaven have
to do with hypocrisy? To the Jews leaven was a
sign of evil. It was a piece of dough from left-over bread which fermented.
Fermentation was associated with decay and rotting - the state of foul-smelling
decomposition. Why did Jesus warn his disciples to avoid the ways of the
Pharisees? The Pharisees wanted everyone to recognize that they were pious and
good Jews because they meticulously and scrupulously performed their religious
duties. Jesus turned the table on them by declaring that outward appearance
doesn't always match the inward intentions of the heart. Anyone can display
outward signs of goodness while inwardly harboring evil thoughts and
intentions.
The word hypocrite means actor -
someone who pretends to be what he or she is not. But who can truly be good,
but God alone? Hypocrisy thrives on making a good appearance and masking what
they don't want others to see. The good news is that God's light exposes the
darkness of evil and sin in our hearts, even the sin which is unknown to us.
And God's light transforms our hearts and minds and enables us to overcome
hatred with love, pride with humility, and pretense with integrity and
truthfulness. God gives grace to the humble and contrite of heart to enable us
to overcome the leaven of insincerity and hypocrisy in our lives.
What does fear have to
do with the kingdom of God? Fear is a powerful force. It can lead us to panic
and flight or it can spur us to faith and action. The fear of God is the
antidote to the fear of losing one's life. "I sought the Lord, and he
answered me, and delivered me from all my fears... O fear the Lord, you his
saints, for those who fear him have no want! ..Come, O sons, listen to me, I
will teach you the fear of the Lord." (Psalm 34:4,9,11) What is godly
fear? It is reverence for the One who made us in love and who sustains us in
mercy and kindness. The greatest injury or loss which we can experience is not
physical but spiritual - the loss of one's soul and life to the power of hell.
A healthy fear of God leads to spiritual maturity, wisdom, and right judgment
and it frees us from the tyranny of sinful pride, deceit, and cowardice -
especially in the face of evil, falsehood, and deception. Do you trust in God's
grace and mercy and do you submit to his life-giving word of truth and
righteousness (moral goodness)?
"Lord Jesus, may
the light of your word free my heart from the deception of sin and consume me
with a burning love for your truth and righteousness."
 Into the Lion’s Mouth |
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October 17, 2014.
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
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Luke 12: 1-7
At that time: So
many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another
underfoot. He began to speak, first to his disciples, "Beware of the
leaven-- that is, the hypocrisy-- of the Pharisees. There is nothing
concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the
housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the
body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid
of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell
you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your
head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many
sparrows."
Introductory
Prayer: Lord, I believe that you
are present here as I turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in
your desire to give me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for
your love, thank you for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my
life and my love in return.
Petition: Lord, give me courage to keep following you even
in the face of temptation.
1. Lion Food: St. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, was arrested and
then transported to Rome, where death by lions awaited him. In a letter, he
urges the Romans to do him no “untimely charity” of interceding with the
emperor to spare him from execution. He writes to them, “I beseech of you not
to show an unseasonable goodwill towards me. Suffer me to become food for the
wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to
God” (Letter to the Romans). When Christ speaks of having no fear of those
who kill the body but after that can do no more, he means it quite literally.
If we encounter a situation in which we must either be faithful to Christ or
cave in to pressure and abandon the path of the Lord, we should never
hesitate. Follow Christ. Do not fear those who might “kill” by their
criticism or disapproval of our rectitude of conscience. Do not be afraid.
2. Becoming Eucharist: St. Ignatius continues, “I am the wheat of God,
and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure
bread of God” (Letter to the Romans). He is drawing a connection between his
own coming martyrdom—wheat ground by the teeth of wild beasts—and the
Eucharist—the pure bread of God. These words are not just grisly yet pious
analogy; rather, they touch on the most profound meaning of the mystery of
the Eucharist and our participation in it. The Eucharist is the most complete
worship given to God the Father: It is the Incarnation of God among us, it is
Christ’s sacrifice of his body on the Cross, and it is his Resurrection from
death to eternal life. Through the Eucharist we become an acceptable
sacrifice to the Lord. We need to offer the struggles and challenges of each
day in order to remain united with Christ in the Eucharist.
3. More than
Birds: In our daily life we take
many small things for granted because they seem to have little import in the
grand scheme of things. “What were the high and low temperatures a year ago
today?” “What does it matter now?” we might as well respond. “Where will the
four sparrows I saw in the park two weeks ago get food to eat?” It’s not even
a question that occurs to us. We have many other things of immediate
importance that require our attention and action. Yet such a question is
important enough to occur to God. Christ tells us in Luke 12:24,
“They do not sow or reap; they have no storehouses and no barns; yet God
feeds them.” He continues, “And how much more are you worth than the birds!”
If God would make time to think about something so insignificant among all
the goings-on in the world, how much more will he be taking care of our
needs!
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, when I look at the
difficulties and rough spots I know I will be facing today, I worry about the
sacrifices I’ll have to make. Maybe events won’t turn out as I hope. Help me
to have confidence and trust in you like St. Ignatius. Help me realize that
you have taken care of every minute detail of all that will occur today.
Resolution: When faced with any worry today I will pray,
“Jesus, I trust in you.”
By Father Daniel Ray, LC |
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, LUKE 12:1-7(Ephesians
1:11-14; Psalm 33)
KEY VERSE: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and can do no more" (v 4).
READING: In the face of growing opposition to Jesus' proclamation of the gospel, he turned to his disciples whom he called "friends" (the only time in the synoptics―see Jn 15:14). Jesus warned his followers to be on guard against Pharisaical hypocrisy that subtly eroded the truth. His disciples should not be afraid of physical suffering. The only one they ought to fear was the Almighty God, the author and judge of their eternal destiny. Yet God was not a harsh magistrate; God was concerned about the welfare of every creature. God knew the worth of each little bird sold for sacrificial offering, and the number of hairs on each person's head. Since that was so, Jesus' followers should be assured of divine protection during times of persecution.
REFLECTING: Does fear keep me from openly proclaiming my faith?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to have confidence in God's care for me.
Memorial of Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and
martyr
Ignatius was a convert from paganism to Christianity. He succeeded Peter as bishop of Antioch, Syria. During the persecution of the Emperor Trajan, he was ordered taken to Rome. On the way, a journey which took months, he wrote a series of encouraging letters to the churches under his care. Ignatius of Antioch was the first writer to use the term the "catholic" Church. He died a martyr c.107 at Rome, killed by wild animals. His relics are at Saint Peter's, Rome.
I am writing to all the churches to let it be known that I will gladly die for God if only you do not stand in my way. I plead with you: show me no untimely kindness. Let me be food for the wild beasts, for they are my way to God. I am God's wheat and bread.
Friday 17 October 2014
St Ignatius of Antioch. Day
of penance.
Ephesians
1:11-14. Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own—Ps
32(33):1-2, 4-5, 12-13. Luke 12:1-7.
In today’s gospel
Jesus warns against the ‘yeast of the Pharisees’, that is, their hypocrisy.
In baking bread, yeast
brings the dough to life. In using the image of yeast, Jesus shows how
hypocrisy among teachers of the faith can multiply and infect their listeners,
creating a bad batch of believers. Prejudices and erroneous judgments can be
handed down to people under the guise of religious righteousness and right
practice.
Jesus does not instruct his
listeners not to listen to the Pharisees but to simply be on their guard. A key
to discernment is to sift, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the different
movements in our lives, those that lead to freedom, life and relationships, or
those that turn us in on ourselves away from others. While we cannot avoid
encountering bad yeast in our lives, we can learn to recognise it by its fruit
and avoid it in future. This is a sure way of being on our guard.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Consumed by Love
I am consumed by love for God and love for my neighbor. God is
constantly fixed in my mind and imprinted on my heart. I never lose sight of
Him.”
October
17
St. Ignatius of Antioch
(d. 107?)
St. Ignatius of Antioch
(d. 107?)
Born in Syria, Ignatius converted to Christianity and eventually
became bishop of Antioch. In the year 107, Emperor Trajan visited Antioch and
forced the Christians there to choose between death and apostasy. Ignatius
would not deny Christ and thus was condemned to be put to death in Rome.
Ignatius
is well known for the seven letters he wrote on the long journey from Antioch
to Rome. Five of these letters are to churches in Asia Minor; they urge the
Christians there to remain faithful to God and to obey their superiors. He
warns them against heretical doctrines, providing them with the solid truths of
the Christian faith.
The sixth
letter was to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who was later martyred for the faith.
The final letter begs the Christians in Rome not to try to stop his martyrdom.
"The only thing I ask of you is to allow me to offer the libation of my
blood to God. I am the wheat of the Lord; may I be ground by the teeth of the
beasts to become the immaculate bread of Christ."
Ignatius
bravely met the lions in the Circus Maximus.
Comment:
Ignatius's great concern was for the unity and order of the Church. Even greater was his willingness to suffer martyrdom rather than deny his Lord Jesus Christ. Not to his own suffering did Ignatius draw attention, but to the love of God which strengthened him. He knew the price of commitment and would not deny Christ, even to save his own life.
Ignatius's great concern was for the unity and order of the Church. Even greater was his willingness to suffer martyrdom rather than deny his Lord Jesus Christ. Not to his own suffering did Ignatius draw attention, but to the love of God which strengthened him. He knew the price of commitment and would not deny Christ, even to save his own life.
Quote:
"I greet you from Smyrna together with the Churches of God present here with me. They comfort me in every way, both in body and in soul. My chains, which I carry about on me for Jesus Christ, begging that I may happily make my way to God, exhort you: persevere in your concord and in your community prayers" (Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Church at Tralles).
"I greet you from Smyrna together with the Churches of God present here with me. They comfort me in every way, both in body and in soul. My chains, which I carry about on me for Jesus Christ, begging that I may happily make my way to God, exhort you: persevere in your concord and in your community prayers" (Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Church at Tralles).
LECTIO DIVINA:
LUKE 12,1-7
Lectio:
Friday, October 17, 2014
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord,
our help and guide,
make your love the foundation of our lives.
May our love for you express itself
in our eagerness to do good for others.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
our help and guide,
make your love the foundation of our lives.
May our love for you express itself
in our eagerness to do good for others.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 12,1-7
Meanwhile the people had gathered in their
thousands so that they were treading on one another. And Jesus began to speak,
first of all to his disciples. 'Be on your guard against the yeast of the
Pharisees -- their hypocrisy. Everything now covered up will be uncovered, and
everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have
said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in
hidden places will be proclaimed from the housetops.
'To you my friends I say: Do not be afraid of
those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to
fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes,
I tell you, he is the one to fear.
Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies?
And yet not one is forgotten in God's sight. Why, every hair on your head has
been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than many
sparrows.
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel presents a last criticism of
Jesus against the religious authority of his time.
• Luke 12, 1ª: Thousands were looking for
Jesus. “At that time people had gathered in their thousands so that they were
treading on one another”. This phrase allows to have a glimpse of the enormous
popularity of Jesus and the desire of the people to encounter him (cf. Mk 6,
31; Mt 13, 2). It makes us see also the abandonment in which people found
themselves. “They are like sheep without a shepherd,” said Jesus on another
occasion when he saw the crowds get close to him to listen to his words (Mk 6,
34).
• Luke 12, 1b: Attention with hypocrisy.
“Jesus began to speak first of all to his disciples: “Be on your guard against
the yeast of the Pharisees – their hypocrisy”. Mark had already spoken of the
yeast of the Pharisees and of the Herodians and had suggested that it was a
question of the mentality or of the dominant ideology of that time which
expected a glorious and powerful Messiah (Mk 8, 15; 8, 31-33). In this text
Luke identifies the yeast of the Pharisees with hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is an
attitude which turns up side down or overturns the values. It hides the truth.
It shows a beautiful cloak or cape which hides and falsifies what is the rotten
that is inside. In this case, hypocrisy was like the apparent cover of the
maximum fidelity to the word of God which hid the contradiction of their life.
Jesus wants the contrary. He wants coherence and not that which remains hidden.
• Luke 12, 2-3: That which is hidden will be
revealed. “Everything now covered up will be uncovered, and everything now
hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark
will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places
will be proclaims from the housetops”. It is the second time that Luke speaks
about this theme (cf. Lc 8, 17). Instead of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees
which hides the truth, the disciples should be sincere. They should not be
afraid of truth. Jesus invites them to share with the others the teachings
which they learn from him. The disciples cannot keep these for themselves, but
they should diffuse them. One day, the masks will fall completely and
everything will be clearly revealed, and will be proclaimed on the housetops
(Mt 10, 26-27).
• Luke 12, 4-5: Do not be afraid. “Do not be
afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell
you whom to fear: fear him who after he has killed has the power to cast into
hell. Yes, I tell you, he is the one to fear”. Here Jesus addresses himself to
his friends the disciples. They should not be afraid of those who kill the
body, who torture, who trample on and make one suffer. Those who torture can
kill the body, but they cannot kill liberty and the spirit. Yes, they should be
afraid that fear of suffering may lead them to hide or to deny the truth and
therefore, will lead him to offend God; because he who separates himself from
God will be lost forever.
• Luke 12, 6-7: You are worth more than many
sparrows. “Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is
forgotten in God’s sight. For every hair on hour head has been counted. Do not
fear you are worth more than many sparrows”. The disciples should not be afraid
of anything, because they are in God’s hands. Jesus asks them to look at the
sparrows. Two sparrows are sold for a few pennies and not one of them falls to
the ground without the will of the Father. Even the hair on your head is
counted. Luke says that not one hair falls from your head without the
permission of the Father (Lk 21, 18). And so many hairs fall from our head!
This is why, “Do not fear, you are worth more than many sparrows”. This is the
lesson that Jesus draws from the contemplation of nature (cf Mt 10, 29-31).
• The contemplation of nature. In the Sermon
on the Mountain, the most important message Jesus takes it from the
contemplation on nature. He says: “Have you heard that it was said, love your
neighbour and hate your enemy; but I say: love your enemies and pray for those
who persecute you so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he
causes his sun to rise on the bas as well as the good, and sends down rain to
fall on the upright and the wicked alike. For if you love those who love you,
what reward will you get? Do not even the tax collectors do as much? And if you
save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Do
not even the gentiles do as much? You must therefore set no bounds to your
love, just as the Heavenly Father sets non to his” (Mt 5, 43-45.48). The
observation of the rhythm of the sun and the rain lead Jesus to make that
revolutionary affirmation: “Love your enemies”. The same thing is valid
concerning the invitation to look at the flowers of the fields and the birds of
the sky (Mt 6, 25-30). This contemplative and surprising attitude before nature
led Jesus to criticize truths apparently eternal. Six times, one after another,
he had the courage to correct publicly the Law of God: “It has been said, but I
tell you...” The discovery made in the renewed contemplation of nature becomes
for him a very important light to reread history with a different look, and
discover lights which before were not perceived. Today there is new vision of
the universe which is circulating. The discoveries of science concerning the
immensity of the macro-cosmos and of the micro-cosmos are becoming sources of a
new contemplation of the universe. Many apparently eternal truths are now
beginning to be criticized.
4) Personal questions
• What is hidden will be revealed. Is there in
me something which I fear that it be revealed?
• The contemplation of the sparrows and of the
things of nature lead Jesus to have a new and surprising attitude which reveals
the gratuitous goodness of God. Do I usually contemplate nature?
5) Concluding prayer
The word of Yahweh is straightforward,
all he does springs from his constancy.
He loves uprightness and justice;
the faithful love of Yahweh fills the earth.
(Ps 33,4-5)
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