Oct 7~ Office of Readings: St Ignatius of Antioc to the Philadelphians

Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church of God the Father, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is at Philadelphia, which has obtained mercy through love, and is established in the harmony of God, and rejoiceth unceasingly, in the passion of our Lord Jesus, and is filled with all mercy through His resurrection; which I salute in the blood of Jesus Christ, who is our eternal and enduring joy, especially to those who are in unity with the bishop, and the presbyters, and the deacons, who have been appointed by the will of God the Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to His own will, has firmly established His Church upon a rock, by a spiritual building, not made with hands, against which the winds and the floods have beaten, yet have not been able to overthrow it: yea, and may spiritual wickedness never be able to do so, but be thoroughly weakened by the power of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Which bishop, I know, obtained the ministry which pertains to the common [weal], not of himself, neither by men, nor through vainglory, but by the love of God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ; at whose meekness I am struck with admiration, and who by his silence is able to accomplish more than those who vainly talk. For he is in harmony with the commandments [of God], even as the harp is with its strings. Wherefore my soul declares his mind towards God a happy one, knowing it to be virtuous and perfect, and that his stability as well as freedom from all anger is after the example of the infinite meekness of the living God.

Wherefore, as children of light and truth, flee from division and wicked doctrines; but where the shepherd is, there do ye as sheep follow. For there are many wolves that appear worthy of credit, who, by means of a pernicious pleasure, carry captive those that are running towards God; but in your unity they shall have no place.

God. For as many as are of Christ are also with the bishop; but as many as fall away from him, and embrace communion with the accursed, these shall be cut off along with them. For they are not Christ’s husbandry, but the seed of the enemy, from whom may you ever be delivered by the prayers of the shepherd, that most faithful and gentle shepherd who presides over you. I therefore exhort you in the Lord to receive with all tenderness those that repent and return to the unity of the Church, that through your kindness and forbearance they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, and becoming worthy of Jesus Christ, may obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of Christ. Brethren, be not deceived. If any man follows him that separates from the truth, he shall not inherit the kingdom of God; and if any man does not stand aloof from the preacher of falsehood, he shall be condemned to hell. For it is obligatory neither to separate from the godly, nor to associate with the ungodly. If any one walks according to a strange15 opinion, he is not of Christ, nor a partaker of His passion.

Take ye heed, then, to have but one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup to [show forth] the unity of His blood; one altar; as there is one bishop, along with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow-servants: that so, whatsoever ye do, ye may do it according to [the will of] God.

My brethren, I am greatly enlarged in loving you; and rejoicing exceedingly [over you], I seek to secure your safety. Yet it is not I, but Jesus Christ, for whose sake being bound I fear the more, inasmuch as I am not yet perfect. But your prayer to God shall make me perfect, that I may attain to that portion which through mercy has been allotted me, while I flee to the Gospel as to the flesh of Jesus, and to the apostles as to the presbytery of the Church. And let us also love the prophets, because they too have proclaimed the Gospel, and placed their hope in Him, and waited for Him; in whom also believing, they were saved, through union to Jesus Christ, being holy men, worthy of love and admiration, having had witness borne to them by Jesus Christ, and being reckoned along with [us] in the Gospel of the common hope.

Audio: The Letters Of St Ignatius Of Antioch

These seven short letters from the martyr/bishop of Antioch are some of the most prized post New Testament writings in existence.  together the readings total about 1 hour and 16 minutes.  The text is being read by Maria Lectrix, an audio blogger who posts on a wide range of literary genera.  The text she is using is from the 19th century and may not e to everyone liking.  You can read a more modern translation St Ignatius and the other “Apostolic Fathers online HERE.

No Wonder He Is The Patron Saint Of Parish Priests

It seems to me that if more parish priests (not to mention Bishops!) had put the yoke on the things spoken of here we would not be confronted today by the Janus-faced, who now no longer are even embarrassed by their duplicity, bowing one face to the world and the other to God at one and the same time.

In speaking to you today, my dear brethren, of the dreadful state of the lukewarm soul, my purpose is not to paint for you a terrifying and despairing picture of the soul which is living in mortal sin without even having the wish to escape that condition. That poor unfortunate creature can bu look forward to the wrath of God in the next life. Alas! these sinners hear me; they know well of whom I am speaking at this very moment…We will go no further, for all that I would wish to say would serve only to harden them more.

In speaking to you, my brethren, of the lukewarm soul, I do not wish, either, to speak of those who make neither their Easter duty nor their annual Confession. They know very well that in spite of all their prayers and their other good works they will be lost. Let us leave them in their blindness, since they want to remain that way…

Nor do I understand, brethren, by the lukewarm soul, that soul who would like to be worldly without ceasing to be a child of God. You will see such a one at one moment prostrate before God, his Savior and his Master, and the next moment similarly prostrate before the world, his idol.

Poor blind creature, who gives one hand to God and the other to the world, so that he can call both to his aid, and promise his heart to each in turn! He loves God, or rather, he would like to love Him, but he would also like to please the world. Then, weary of wanting to give his allegiance to both, he ends by giving it to the world alone. This is an extraordinary life and one which offers so strange a spectacle that is is hard to persuade oneself that it could be the life of one and the same person. I am going to show you this so clearly that perhaps many among you will be hurt by it. But that will matter little to me, for I am always going to tell you what I ought to tell you, and then you will do what you wish about it…

I would say further, my brethren, that whoever wants to please both the world and God leads one of the most unhappy of lives. You shall see how. Here is someone who gives himself up to pleasures of the world or develops some evil habit.

How great is his fear when he comes to fulfill his religious duties; that it, when he says his prayers, when he goes to confession, or wants to go to Holy Communion! He does not want to be seen by those with whom he has been dancing and passing the nights at the cabarets, where he has been giving himself over to many kinds of licentiousness. Has he come to the stage where he is going to deceive his confessor by hiding the worst of his actions and thus obtain permission to go to Holy Communion, or rather, to commit a sacrilege? He would prefer to go to Holy Communion before or after Mass, that is to say, when there is no one present. Yet he is quite happy to be seen by the good people who know nothing about his evil life and among whom he would like to arouse good opinions about himself. In front of devout people he talks about religion. When he is with those who have no religion, he will talk only about the pleasures of the world. He would blush to fulfill his religious practices in front of his companions or those boys and girls who share his evil ways…-Excerpted from THE DREADFUL STAT OF THE LUKEWARM SOUL, BY St John Vianney. Taken from THE SERMONS OF THE CURE OF ARS

My Notes On St Ignatius’ Letter to the Ephesians (Chapter 1)

These brief notes on Chapter 1 of the letter originally appeared on another site of mine

Greeting:

Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the church which is at Ephesus, in Asia, deservedly most happy, being blessed in the greatness and fullness of God the Father, and predestined before the beginning of time, that it should be always for an enduring and unchangeable glory, being united and elected through the true passion by the will of the Father, and Jesus Christ, our God: Abundant happiness through Jesus Christ and his undefiled grace.

Theophorus means “one who bears God.” The saint elsewhere uses the term to denote faithful Christians.

According to Acts 19:10 St Paul spent two years in Ephesus, which was in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). A letter to that church is found in the Pauline corpus, but the ancient manuscripts suggest that his letter was not addressed to Ephesus or to any one church but was more “encyclical” in nature. Some of the language in the greeting of Ignatius possibly reflects the letter of Paul.
Chapter 1: In Praise of the Ephesians.

I have become acquainted with your name, much beloved in God, which ye have acquired by the habit of righteousness, according to the faith and love in Jesus Christ our Saviour. Being the followers of God, and stirring yourselves up by the blood of God, ye have perfectly accomplished the work the work which was beseeming to you. For, on hearing that I came bound form Syria for the common name and hope, through your prayers to be permitted to fight the beasts at Rome, that so by martyrdom I may indeed become the disciple of Him “who gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God, (Eph 5:2) ye hastened to see me. I received, therefore, your whole multitude in the name of God, through Onesimus, a man of inexpressible love, and your bishop in the flesh, whom I pray you by Jesus Christ to love, and that you would all seek to be like him. And blessed be He who has granted unto you, being worthy, to obtain such an excellent bishop.

Theophorus: A name the saint may have taken for himself upon his baptism. Given the fact that he says “who is called Theophorus” it is more likely that others gave him this name. The name can be understood either in an active or a passive sense. If the former, it means “one who carries God about;” If the latter, it means, “one who is carried by God.” In as much as Ignatius was a bishop whose task it was to bring God to the world, I tend to think that the first, active designation is correct. Also, St Ignatius saw the Bishops as sent by God through Christ and therefore, ultimately, representing God to the Church and the world. Consider this passage from latter in the letter:

For a fact, if I in a short time became so warmly attached to your
bishop–an attachment based not on human grounds but on spiritual–how much
more do I count you happy who are as closely knit to him as the Church is
to Jesus Christ, and as Jesus Christ is to the Father! As a result, the
symphony of unity is perfect. Let no one deceive himself: unless a man is
within the sanctuary, he has to go without the Bread of God. Assuredly, if
the prayer of one or two has such efficacy, how much more that of the
bishop and the entire Church! It follows, then: he who absents himself from
the common meeting, by that very fact shows pride and becomes a sectarian;
for the Scripture says: God resists the proud. Let us take care, therefore,
not to oppose the bishop, that we may be submissive to God.
Furthermore: the more anyone observes that a bishop is discreetly
silent, the more he should stand in fear of him. Obviously, anyone whom the
Master of the household puts in charge of His domestic affairs, ought to be
received by us in the same spirit as He who has charged him with this duty.
Plainly, then, one should look upon the bishop as upon the Lord Himself.

Ephesus: The Christians of Ephesus were closely associated with St Paul and St John.

deservedly most happy: What follows gives the reasons why they are so deserving of happiness; 1) they ave been blessed in the fulness and greatness of God the father; 2)predestined before the beginning of time; 3) that they should abide for and enduring and unchanging glory; 4) and be united and elected through the true passion by the will of the Father, and Jesus Christ, our God.

Fulness: Refers to the abundant blessings of God’s salvific bounty which come through Jesus Christ (see John 1:16; Eph 1:22-23)

Predestined: Neither in the NT or in Ignatius is this word ever used of individuals in a Calvinist sense. The word refers to the eternal, salvific plan of God, the purpose of which is that those who accept the faith should, as St Ignatius puts it “abide for an enduring and unchageable glory.”

being united and elected through the true passion: unity and the truth of the passion are strongly emphasized by the saint in opposition to heretics and schismatic; we will see this repeatedly as we work our way through his letters.

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