Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:02 I'm Maria, Christina, and the name of the father, the son, the Holy spirit. Amen. It's the faith of Saint Ignatius of Antioch. He's the third Bishop of Antioch is the Saint. Peter was the first Bishop. Then you had st of bodegas and then, uh, Saint Ignatius. And he actually knew a st. Peter and st. Paul. He was a disciple of Saint John, the Baptist and, uh, during trade-ins Randy gets hauled in. So I'll, I'll read you some things here. First of all, what happens Trajan is on his way. He's on a campaign against the Parkins, which that's over in w what we'd now call, uh, Yuran basically. And he's so he's, he's on his way East. And he stops an Antioch on the 7th of January one Oh seven and says, and, and reading from father Butler, his first concern was about the fair religion worship of the gods.
Speaker 0 00:00:57 For this reason, he resolved to compel the Christians, either acknowledge their divinity and sacrifice to them or suffer death in case of refusal. So typical pig and emperor stuff. So he calls it Ignatius before him. And here we have from the act in Trajan says, who are you? Wicked demon, the Derrick transgressed my commands and persuade others to pear and say, he says, no one cost the opera. So wicked demons. The operas is his surname. Ignatius Trajan says, who is the offers? Ignatius answered. He carries Christ in his breasts, tread you reply. Do we not seem to the, to bear the gods in our breasts? And we have assisted who we have insisting us against her enemies and saying, Neisha says, you, Aaron calling those gods who are no better than devils for there's only one God who made heaven and earth and all things that are in them.
Speaker 0 00:01:50 One Jesus Christ, his only son whose kingdom, I earnestly desire to be admitted. Trajan said, do you not mean him? That was crucified under Pontius pilot city gay she's answered the very same goodbye. His death is crucified with sin. It's author who overcame a mouse, and the devils has enabled those who bear him their heart to trapline him. Trajan said you carry Christ about within you Ignatius answered. Yes. For it is written. I will dwell and walk in them. Then Trajan dictated. The following sentence is our will. That Ignatius says that he carries a crucified man within himself, be bound and conducted around to be vouchered there by wild beast. The entertainment of the people, the Holy mater, hearing the sentence, cried out with joy. I thank the old Lord for honoring me with this token. A perfect love for thee. That'd be bound with chains of iron imitation.
Speaker 0 00:02:41 I possible Paul for the iSay. So there's a couple of things before I go on, it's just, we ought to remark on, and that is, he has no human respect. He's hauled before the most powerful man in the world. And he's not ashamed at all to confess Christ. You know how many people are faded, say grace, in a restaurant we thought of, as Christians, let alone Catholic martyrs put us to shame. Uh, as he's hauled off, it takes a very long time to get him there. They put him on a ship and it's kind of stopping all over the place. And it stops at Smyrna. He meets with Saint Polycarp there. Other churches are sending people to meet with them and so forth. And then he writes a series of letters. They're very beautiful. And I'll just read an excerpt from one of his letters. I believe this is from his letter to the Romans.
Speaker 0 00:03:36 Pray to God for me, that God will give me both inward and outward strength. They may not only say, but do that. I may not only be called a Christian, be, be found one for five, shall be found a Christian I've been in deservedly, be called one, be thought faithful. When I shall no longer appear to the world, nothing is good. That is seeing a Christian is not a work of opinion, but of greatness. When he is hated by the world, I write to the churches and signified to them, all that I am willing to die for God, unless you hinder me. I beseech you that you show not an unseasonable Goodwill towards me, suffer me to be the food of wild beasts whereby I may attain unto God. I'm the weight of God. And to be ground by the teeth of the wild beast, that I may be found the pier bread of Christ, rather than Tice the beast to myself occur. They may leave nothing in my body that being dead, I may not be troublesome to any. Then I shall be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. When the world shall not see so much as my body pray to Christ me that in this, I may become a sacrifice to God. So he's looking forward to his martyrdom. And in fact, there's something very interesting in the mass. It's very unusual actually, because the community is from his act in the communion. Uh, uh, <inaudible> is momentum. Christy soon. Daddy was best. You are more locked with <inaudible>.
Speaker 0 00:05:02 That's actually what Saint Ignatius is writing. It says I'm the weight of Christ, maybe ground by the teeth of beasts that I may be found pure bread. So we actually hear this in the mask today, he finally gets to wrong. So this is in January. It takes him to the 20th of December. He gets to Rome and I read from father Butler again, the last day of the public entertainment, he's presented the prefect of the city whom the emperor's letter was delivered at the same time, he was then hurried by the soldiers, into the amphitheater. The Saint hearing, the lions roar cried out. I'm the way to the Lord. I must be ground by the teeth of these beasts to be made the pier Beretta Christ to fierce lines being let up out on him. They instantly devoured him leaving nothing of his body with the larger bones.
Speaker 0 00:05:50 Thus, his prayer was heard. And we have witnesses after having been present at the software spectacle, which made us many tears. We spent the following night in her house and watching and praying begging of God to afford us some comfort by certifying us of his glory. They relate to their prayer was heard that several of them in their summer saw him in great bliss. So that's just a little bit on Saint Ignatius of Antioch and his martyrdom, but pray to him that we will be faithful. We have to ask for fidelity. It is not natural. It's something supernatural. And in every direction this world we find ourselves in is pressing on us to try to get us to deny in different ways or at least subverse or push down any evidence sign of our Christianne that we really are for Christ. Pray to him for the grace to be faithful, to be faithful witnesses, even unto death.
