Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch,
Bishop and Martyr
Lectionary: 468
Lectionary: 468
Brothers and sisters:
I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:
for Jew first, and then Greek.
For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith;
as it is written, "The one who is righteous by faith will live."
The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven
against every impiety and wickedness
of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
For what can be known about God is evident to them,
because God made it evident to them.
Ever since the creation of the world,
his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity
have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made.
As a result, they have no excuse;
for although they knew God
they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks.
Instead, they became vain in their reasoning,
and their senseless minds were darkened.
While claiming to be wise, they became fools
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God
for the likeness of an image of mortal man
or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes.
Therefore, God handed them over to impurity
through the lusts of their hearts
for the mutual degradation of their bodies.
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie
and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator,
who is blessed forever. Amen.
I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:
for Jew first, and then Greek.
For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith;
as it is written, "The one who is righteous by faith will live."
The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven
against every impiety and wickedness
of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
For what can be known about God is evident to them,
because God made it evident to them.
Ever since the creation of the world,
his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity
have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made.
As a result, they have no excuse;
for although they knew God
they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks.
Instead, they became vain in their reasoning,
and their senseless minds were darkened.
While claiming to be wise, they became fools
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God
for the likeness of an image of mortal man
or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes.
Therefore, God handed them over to impurity
through the lusts of their hearts
for the mutual degradation of their bodies.
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie
and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator,
who is blessed forever. Amen.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 19:2-3, 4-5
R. (2a) The
heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
AlleluiaHEB 4:12
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 11:37-41
After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you."
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you."
Meditation: What makes the heart clean and
holy?
Is the Lord Jesus welcomed at your table and are you
ready to feast at his table? A Pharisee, after hearing Jesus preach, invited
him to dinner, no doubt, because he wanted to hear more from this extraordinary
man who spoke the word of God as no one else had done before. It was not
unusual for a rabbi to give a teaching over dinner. Jesus, however, did
something which offended his host. He did not perform the ceremonial washing of
hands before beginning the meal. Did Jesus forget or was he deliberately
performing a sign to reveal something to his host? Jesus turned the table on
his host by chiding him for uncleanness of heart.
What makes the heart clean and holy?
Which is more important to God - clean hands or a clean mind and heart? Jesus chided the Pharisees for harboring evil thoughts that make us unclean spiritually - such as greed, pride, bitterness, envy, arrogance, and the like. Why does he urge them, and us, to give alms? When we give freely and generously to those in need we express love, compassion, kindness, and mercy. And if the heart is full of love and compassion, then there is no room for envy, greed, bitterness, and the like. Do you allow God's love to transform your heart, mind, and actions toward your neighbor?
Which is more important to God - clean hands or a clean mind and heart? Jesus chided the Pharisees for harboring evil thoughts that make us unclean spiritually - such as greed, pride, bitterness, envy, arrogance, and the like. Why does he urge them, and us, to give alms? When we give freely and generously to those in need we express love, compassion, kindness, and mercy. And if the heart is full of love and compassion, then there is no room for envy, greed, bitterness, and the like. Do you allow God's love to transform your heart, mind, and actions toward your neighbor?
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your love and increase
my thirst for holiness. Cleanse my heart of every evil thought and desire and
help me to act kindly and justly and to speak charitably with my
neighbor."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Acts of mercy are examples of almsgiving,
by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"What our Lord says, 'Give alms, and behold, all
things are clean to you,' applies to all useful acts of mercy. It does not
apply just to the one who gives food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty,
clothing to the naked, hospitality to the wayfarer or refuge to the fugitive.
It also applies to one who visits the sick and the prisoner, redeems the
captive, bears the burdens of the weak, leads the blind, comforts the
sorrowful, heals the sick, shows the erring the right way, gives advice to the
perplexed, and does whatever is needful for the needy. Not only does this
person give alms, but the person who forgives the trespasser also gives alms as
well. He is also a giver of alms who, by blows or other discipline, corrects
and restrains those under his command. At the same time he forgives from the
heart the sin by which he has been wronged or offended or prays that it be
forgiven the offender. Such a person gives alms not only because he forgives
and prays but also because he rebukes and administers corrective punishment,
since in this he shows mercy... There are many kinds of alms. When we do them,
we are helped in receiving forgiveness of our own sins." (excerpt from ENCHIRIDION 19.72)
TUESDAY,
OCTOBER 17, LUKE 11:37-41
(Romans 1:16-25; Psalm 19)
(Romans 1:16-25; Psalm 19)
KEY VERSE: "Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil" (v 39).
TO KNOW: When Jesus was invited to dine at the home of a Pharisee, he was criticized by his host for failing to wash his hands before eating. This was not a matter of cleanliness but of the Pharisaic practice which prescribed that hands must be washed before a meal in a certain way to avoid ritual impurity. Jesus' reply was a full-scale condemnation of their legalistic religious attitude. The Pharisees were scrupulous about the smallest details of ritual cleanliness, whereas Jesus was more concerned with moral purity than with outward observance of rituals. He made the comparison of tableware that had been washed clean on the outside but remained filthy inside. These religious leaders were contaminating the people with their emphasis on externals while ignoring the essence of the Law of Moses, which was charity and justice.
TO LOVE: Do I serve the Lord out of devotion or obligation?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, cleanse me from all my unknown offenses.
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr
Ignatius was a convert from paganism to Christianity. He succeeded Peter as bishop of Antioch, Syria. During persecution, the Emperor Trajan ordered him to be taken to Rome. En route,Ignatius wrote six letters to the churches in the region and one to a fellow bishop, Polycarp, bishop of Smyna (also martyred). This correspondence is an example of early Christian theology. Important topics include ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops. In speaking of the authority of the church, he was the first to use the phrase "catholic church" (meaning universal), which is still in use to this day. Ignatius died a martyr c.107 at Rome, killed by wild animals. His relics are at Saint Peter's, Rome. St. Ignatius wrote: “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.”
Tuesday 17
October 2017
St Ignatius of Antioch.
Romans
1:16-25. Psalm 18(19):2-5. Luke 11:37-41.
The
heavens proclaim the glory of God — Psalm 18(19):2-5.
‘I am not
ashamed of the Gospel: it is the salvation of God for everyone who has faith.’
Paul explains that the Gospel is
important to him because it reveals the righteousness of God. Righteousness is
not an easy word for us because it has come to mean self-righteousness.
Nonetheless we can still identify with Paul when he says that by living ethical
lives we open ourselves to faith in the mystery of salvation. Or when he makes
the relevant observation that those who reject righteousness and refuse to live
moral lives actually suppress the truth.
Paul conveys the impression that
he is progressively coming to terms with the power of God as our salvation. The
truth he finally shares is that God’s righteousness and our quest for goodness
come together in the Gospel of Jesus.
ST. IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH
On Oct. 17, the Roman Catholic Church remembers
the early Church Father, bishop, and martyr Saint Ignatius of Antioch, whose
writings attest to the sacramental and hierarchical nature of the Church from
its earliest days. Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate
his memory on Dec. 20.
In a 2007 general audience on St. Ignatius of Antioch, Pope Benedict XVI observed that “no Church Father has expressed the longing for union with Christ and for life in him with the intensity of Ignatius.” In his letters, the Pope said, “one feels the freshness of the faith of the generation which had still known the Apostles. In these letters, the ardent love of a saint can also be felt.”
Born in Syria in the middle of the first century A.D., Ignatius is said to have been personally instructed – along with another future martyr, Saint Polycarp – by the Apostle Saint John. When Ignatius became the Bishop of Antioch around the year 70, he assumed leadership of a local church that was, according to tradition, first led by Saint Peter before his move to Rome.
Although St. Peter transmitted his Papal primacy to the bishops of Rome rather than Antioch, the city played an important role in the life of the early Church. Located in present-day Turkey, it was a chief city of the Roman Empire, and was also the location where the believers in Jesus' teachings and his resurrection were first called “Christians.”
Ignatius led the Christians of Antioch during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian, the first of the emperors to proclaim his divinity by adopting the title “Lord and God.” Subjects who would not give worship to the emperor under this title could be punished with death. As the leader of a major Catholic diocese during this period, Ignatius showed courage and worked to inspire it in others.
After Domitian's murder in the year 96, his successor Nerva reigned only briefly, and was soon followed by the Emperor Trajan. Under his rule, Christians were once again liable to death for denying the pagan state religion and refusing to participate in its rites. It was during his reign that Ignatius was convicted for his Christian testimony and sent from Syria to Rome to be put to death.
Escorted by a team of military guards, Ignatius nonetheless managed to compose seven letters: six to various local churches throughout the empire (including the Church of Rome), and one to his fellow bishop Polycarp who would give his own life for Christ several decades later.
Ignatius' letters passionately stressed the importance of Church unity, the dangers of heresy, and the surpassing importance of the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality.” These writings contain the first surviving written description of the Church as “Catholic,” from the Greek word indicating both universality and fullness.
One of the most striking features of Ignatius' letters, is his enthusiastic embrace of martyrdom as a means to union with God and eternal life. “All the pleasures of the world, and all the kingdoms of this earth, shall profit me nothing,” he wrote to the Church of Rome. “It is better for me to die in behalf of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth.”
“Now I begin to be a disciple,” the bishop declared. “Let fire and the cross; let the crowds of wild beasts; let tearings, breakings, and dislocations of bones; let cutting off of members; let shatterings of the whole body; and let all the dreadful torments of the devil come upon me: only let me attain to Jesus Christ.”
St. Ignatius of Antioch bore witness to Christ publicly for the last time in Rome's Flavian Amphitheater, where he was mauled to death by lions. “I am the wheat of the Lord,” he had declared, before facing them. “I must be ground by the teeth of these beasts to be made the pure bread of Christ.” His memory was honored, and his bones venerated, soon after his death around the year 107.
In a 2007 general audience on St. Ignatius of Antioch, Pope Benedict XVI observed that “no Church Father has expressed the longing for union with Christ and for life in him with the intensity of Ignatius.” In his letters, the Pope said, “one feels the freshness of the faith of the generation which had still known the Apostles. In these letters, the ardent love of a saint can also be felt.”
Born in Syria in the middle of the first century A.D., Ignatius is said to have been personally instructed – along with another future martyr, Saint Polycarp – by the Apostle Saint John. When Ignatius became the Bishop of Antioch around the year 70, he assumed leadership of a local church that was, according to tradition, first led by Saint Peter before his move to Rome.
Although St. Peter transmitted his Papal primacy to the bishops of Rome rather than Antioch, the city played an important role in the life of the early Church. Located in present-day Turkey, it was a chief city of the Roman Empire, and was also the location where the believers in Jesus' teachings and his resurrection were first called “Christians.”
Ignatius led the Christians of Antioch during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian, the first of the emperors to proclaim his divinity by adopting the title “Lord and God.” Subjects who would not give worship to the emperor under this title could be punished with death. As the leader of a major Catholic diocese during this period, Ignatius showed courage and worked to inspire it in others.
After Domitian's murder in the year 96, his successor Nerva reigned only briefly, and was soon followed by the Emperor Trajan. Under his rule, Christians were once again liable to death for denying the pagan state religion and refusing to participate in its rites. It was during his reign that Ignatius was convicted for his Christian testimony and sent from Syria to Rome to be put to death.
Escorted by a team of military guards, Ignatius nonetheless managed to compose seven letters: six to various local churches throughout the empire (including the Church of Rome), and one to his fellow bishop Polycarp who would give his own life for Christ several decades later.
Ignatius' letters passionately stressed the importance of Church unity, the dangers of heresy, and the surpassing importance of the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality.” These writings contain the first surviving written description of the Church as “Catholic,” from the Greek word indicating both universality and fullness.
One of the most striking features of Ignatius' letters, is his enthusiastic embrace of martyrdom as a means to union with God and eternal life. “All the pleasures of the world, and all the kingdoms of this earth, shall profit me nothing,” he wrote to the Church of Rome. “It is better for me to die in behalf of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth.”
“Now I begin to be a disciple,” the bishop declared. “Let fire and the cross; let the crowds of wild beasts; let tearings, breakings, and dislocations of bones; let cutting off of members; let shatterings of the whole body; and let all the dreadful torments of the devil come upon me: only let me attain to Jesus Christ.”
St. Ignatius of Antioch bore witness to Christ publicly for the last time in Rome's Flavian Amphitheater, where he was mauled to death by lions. “I am the wheat of the Lord,” he had declared, before facing them. “I must be ground by the teeth of these beasts to be made the pure bread of Christ.” His memory was honored, and his bones venerated, soon after his death around the year 107.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 11,37-41
Lectio Divina:
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
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 11,37-41
Jesus had just finished speaking when a
Pharisee invited Him to dine at his house. He went in and sat down at table.
The Pharisee saw this and was surprised that He had not first washed before the
meal. But the Lord said to him, 'You Pharisees! You clean the outside of cup
and plate, while inside yourselves you are filled with extortion and
wickedness. Fools! Did not He who made the outside make the inside too?
Instead, give alms from what you have and, look, everything will be clean for
you.
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel there is the
continuation of the tense relationship between Jesus and the religious
authority of his time. But in spite of the tension there was a certain
familiarity between Jesus and the Pharisees. Invited to eat at their house,
Jesus accepts the invitation. He does not lose his freedom before them, and
neither do the Pharisees before him.
• Luke 11, 37-38: The admiration of the
Pharisees before the liberty of Jesus. “At that time after Jesus had finished
speaking, a Pharisee invited Him to dine at his house. He went in and sat down
at table. The Pharisee saw this and was surprised that He had not first washed
before the meal”. Jesus accepts the invitation to eat at the house of the
Pharisee, but He does not change his way of acting, sitting at table without
washing his hands. Neither does the Pharisee change his attitude before Jesus,
because he expresses his surprise at the fact that Jesus did not wash his
hands. At that time, to wash the hands before eating was a religious
obligation, imposed upon people in the name of purity, ordered by the law of
God. The Pharisee was surprised by the fact that Jesus does not observe this
religious norm. But in spite of their total difference, the Pharisee and Jesus have
something in common: for them life is serious. The way of doing of the Pharisee
was in the following: every day, they dedicated eight hours to study and to the
meditation of the law of God, another eight hours to work in order to be able
to survive with the family and the other eight hours to rest. This serious
witness of their life gives them a great popular leadership. Perhaps because of
this, in spite of the fact of being very diverse, both Jesus and the Pharisees
understood and criticized one another without losing the possibility to
dialogue.
• Luke 11, 39-41: The response of Jesus.
“You Pharisees you clean the outside of the cup and plate, while inside
yourselves you are filled with extortion and wickedness. Fools! Did not He who
made the outside make the inside too? Instead, give alms from what you have
and, look, everything will be clean for you”. The Pharisees observed the law
literally. They only looked at the letter of the law and because of this they
were incapable to perceive the spirit of the law, the objective that the
observance of the law wanted to attain in the life of the persons. For example,
in the law it was written: “Love the neighbor as yourself” (Lv 19,18). And they
commented: “We should love the neighbor, yes, but only the neighbor, not the
others!” And from there arose the discussion around the question: “Who is my
neighbor?” (Lk 10, 29) The Apostle Paul writes in his second Letter to the
Corinthians: “The letter kills, the spirit gives life” (2 Co 3, 6). In the
Sermon on the Mountain, Jesus criticizes those who observe the letter of the
law put transgress the spirit (Mt 5, 20). In order to be faithful to what God
asks us it is not sufficient to observe the letter of the law. It would be the
same thing as to clean the cup on the outside and to leave the inside all
dirty: robbery and injustice so on. It is not sufficient not to kill, not to
rob, not to commit adultery, not to swear. Only to observe the law of God
fully, beyond the letter, goes to the roots and pulls out from within the
person the desires of “robbery and injustice” which can lead to murder,
robbery, adultery. It is in the practice of love that the fullness of the law
is attained (cf. Mt 5, 21-48).
4) Personal questions
• Does our Church today merit the
accusation which Jesus addressed against the Scribes and the Pharisees? Do I
deserve it?
• To respect the seriousness of life of
others who think in a different way from us, can facilitate today dialogue
which is so necessary and difficult. How do I practice dialogue in the family,
in work and in the community?
5) Concluding prayer
Let your faithful love come to me,
Yahweh,
true to your promise, save me!
Give me an answer to the taunts against me,
since I rely on your word. (Ps 119,41-42)
true to your promise, save me!
Give me an answer to the taunts against me,
since I rely on your word. (Ps 119,41-42)
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