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Ephesians 1: 1-10
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
to the holy ones who are in Ephesus
and faithful in Christ Jesus:
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In Christ we have redemption by his Blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.
The Word of the Lord.
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Saint Ignatius, whose feast day we celebrate today, was the bishop of Antioch, located in modern-day Turkey.
He lived as part of the second generation of Christians, who followed in the tradition of Saint Paul by writing pastoral letters to various Christian communities. (As Paul does in our first reading today).
Like Paul, Ignatius was martyred in Rome – he was mauled by lions: and we can still read the text of his letters today.
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One of the great insights Ignatius offers us is the early Christian belief in the Eucharist.
In his Letter to the Romans, he writes, “I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ… and for drink, I desire his blood.”
Elsewhere, in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans, he writes plainly, “The Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ.”
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Ignatius offered his life for this belief. Because of his witness, and other Christians like him, the sacrifice of the Mass has been handed on to Christians for two-thousand years, even to us here today.
May Ignatius intercede on our behalf that we, too, would see Christ fully present in the Eucharist, profess our faith publicly, and find ways to hand on this – our one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic faith to the next generation.
Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) Catholic News Agency (2) Southampton City Art Gallery (3) Catholic Answers Shop