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Saint Ignatius of Antioch, whose feast day we celebrate today, was one of the very first Christian martyrs, mauled to death by lions in a stadium in Rome.
All for love of Jesus.
Before his death, Ignatius wrote many letters to various Christian communities, making some of the earliest references to the practice of the Eucharist, teaching us that the very first Christians did in fact celebrate Mass.
They believed the Eucharist was the promised presence of Christ, which gave people like Ignatius the strength they needed to endure the many trials of life and faith, including being mauled to death.
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But perhaps his most famous quote was this:
“Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips and the world in your heart.”
Much easier said than done.
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The scribes and Pharisees never learned this lesson. They spoke of God, but were obsessed with things of this world – money, power, image, and so on.
They were religious on the outside, but were spiritually dead within. Their religion was one of appearances, hence the “woes” from Jesus in today’s Gospel.
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While it’s easy to criticize these religious figures from long ago or even some in our present day, we, too, face the same temptation – namely to, “have Jesus Christ on our lips but the world in our hearts.”
In what ways am I still drawn to the world – be it a desire for success, pride or pleasure?
And how might I cling to the will of God, instead?
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We may not be mauled like Ignatius, but we are all attacked by doubt, temptation, and fear from time to time. May the same Lord who inspired Ignatius of Antioch inspire us to follow him this day, amen.