Saint Ignatius of Antioch:

Feast day : 17 October

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Ignatius Theophorus, Bishop of Antioch and a glorious martyr of the early church. He was martyred for his faith under the reign of Emperor Trajan who ordered that he should be bound in chains and taken to Rome to be devoured by wild beasts. The Emperor hoped that this terrifying punishment to their Bishop would make the Christians forsake their faith. On the contrary, Saint Ignatius was overjoyed to hear the sentence and thanked God for giving him the honor to die for his Savior. His journey to Rome was long and filled with great sufferings but he displayed great courage and deep love for his faith. Enroute, he wrote letters to the churches exhorting them to remain courageous and firm in faith. People flocked to see their holy bishop, now on the way to martyrdom and were strengthened by his courage and patience. Finally when he reached Rome, he was thrown into the amphitheatre where wild beasts devoured him. His glorious martyrdom was witnessed by thousands of people in Rome and his courage in the face of death inspired the Christians to boldly endure all kinds of persecutions from thereon.

Bishop of Antioch:

Saint Ignatius Theophorus was a zealous disciple of Saint John, the Evangelist and one of the most famous among the early bishops of the Church. He was made the bishop of Antioch, one of the most important cities of Syria and for the Church as well because it was the place where the disciples were first called ‘Christians’. During the forty years that he was the bishop of Antioch he preached the Gospel and diligently took care of his flock. During the persecution of Domitian he defended his flock through prayer and fasting and upheld the faith by preaching the Word. After the death of Domitian, peace was restored in the Church under the reign of Nerva which lasted for fifteen months. When Emperor Trajan succeeded him, he began to persecute Christians. Those who refused to give up their faith were put to death.

When Emperor Trajan came to Antioch, Saint Ignatius was brought before him. The Emperor asked him, “Who art thou, wicked demon, that durst transgress my commands, and persuade others to perish?” Saint Ignatius answered him “He who carrieth Christ in his breast.” Trajan said, “Dost thou carry about Christ within thee?” and Saint Ignatius replied boldly, “Yes, for it is written, ‘I will dwell and walk in them’. On hearing this, Trajan was greatly infuriated and ordered that Saint Ignatius be bound in chains and taken to Rome to be devoured by wild beasts for the entertainment of the people there. The Emperor thought that this terrifying sentence would invoke fear in the holy man and also the Christians and make them forsake their faith. On the contrary, Saint Ignatius was overjoyed on hearing the sentence and said “I thank Thee, O Lord, for vouchsafing to honor me with this token of perfect love for Thee, and to be bound with chains of iron, in imitation of Thy Apostle Paul, for Thy sake.”

Journey to Rome:

The journey to Rome through land and sea was long and filled with sufferings for Saint Ignatius. The soldiers behaved mercilessly with him but he endured all the sufferings joyfully. He wrote letters to the churches describing his sufferings as well as his joy in suffering for the Lord. He urged the people to be courageous and stand firm in their faith. On the way, people flocked to see the holy Bishop and seek his blessings and prayers. When the Christians in Rome tried to plead against the order, he exhorted them against it. He was eager to achieve a glorious martyrdom and begged them not to plead with the Emperor. His letters to the churches reflect the depth of his love for his Savior.

He wrote “A Christian is not a work of opinion, but of greatness, when he is hated by the world. I write to the churches, and signify 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 am the wheat of God, and I am to be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of God.” He also wrote that if the wild beasts would hesitate to devour him, he would provoke them to do it.

His desire for the world and its pleasures were already crucified and he longed to attain his martyrdom. He wrote in one of his letters “Let fire, or the cross, or the concourse of wild beasts, let cutting or tearing of the flesh, let breaking of bones and cutting off limbs, let the shattering in pieces of my whole body, and all the wicked torments of the devil come upon me, so I may but attain to Jesus Christ. All the compass of the earth, and the kingdoms of this world, will profit me nothing. It is better for me to die for the sake of Jesus Christ, than to rule unto the ends of the earth. Him I seek who died for us: Him I desire who rose again for us.“ His letters encouraged the churches to stand firm in faith and endure the persecution.

Martyrdom:

He arrived in Rome on 20 December, the last day of the entertainments and was presented to the Prefect of the city. The Emperor’s orders were carried out and he was led to the amphitheatre where wild beasts devoured his body. A few large bones were left behind by the savage beasts which were collected by the Christians in Rome and taken to Antioch.