Saint Ignatius of Antioch

Feast Day

Oct 17

Patronage

Church in Eastern Mediterranean, Church in North Africa

St. Ignatius was the Bishop of Antioch after St. Peter and then St. Evodius who died around 67 AD.  Eusebius records that St. Ignatius succeeded St. Evodius, and it is reported that St. Peter himself appointed Ignatius to the see of Antioch.  Ignatius is a Greek name, and he also called himself Theophorus, “God Bearer”.   Tradition says he was one of the children that Jesus took in His arms and blessed.  St. Ignatius is one the Apostolic Fathers, the earliest authoritative group of the Church Fathers.  His authority is based on being a Bishop of the Church, and living his life in the imitation of Christ.  It is believed that St. Ignatius along with his friend Polycarp were disciples of the Apostle St. John.   

St. Ignatius wrote a series of letters that have been preserved as an example of very early Christian Theology.  Important topics addressed in these letters include ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of Bishops.  Epistles attributed to St. Ignatius report that he was arrested in Syria and taken back to Rome.  He writes, “From Syria to even Rome, I fight with wild beasts, by land and sea, by night and by day, being bound amidst ten leopards, even a company of soldiers, who only grow worse when they are kindly treated”.  Along this route he wrote six letters to the Churches in the region, and one to a fellow Bishop.  He was sentenced to die at the Colosseum.   The year of his death was 108.  

Practical Take Away

St. Ignatius of Antioch was a Bishop of our very early Church.  He is thought to have been one of the children that Jesus held in his arms and blessed.  St. Peter himself appointed St. Ignatius to be the Bishop of Antioch.  Because of his position, he is one of our Apostolic Fathers, for the early help in building our Church.  He was arrested in Syria, and brought back to Rome, and was thrown into the Colosseum, where he was Martyred by lions.  His life’s work not only set the foundation for the Catholic Church we have today, but it reminds us of the multitude of sacrifices our early Apostolic Fathers went through, so we could openly practice our faith today.  Great saints made great sacrifices and St. Ignatius was one of them.     

From the Horologium Sapientiae of Blessed Henry Suso.

 

From the Horologium Sapientiae of Blessed Henry Suso.

 

Consider now, all you hearts, who love God with a pure mind. For something similar happens to us when the fruitful Virgin clothed with sun, the chosen Queen of heaven, enters like the sun into the confines of our hearts and the memory of her penetrates our minds more brightly than the sun penetrates a cloudless sky. Immediately every difficulty vanishes before the intensity of such a light. Darkness is put to flight, a new dawn arises, and innumerable reasons for rejoicing are provided. Therefore, to you, O our hope, the joy and happiness of our hearts, we wretched sinners break forth in a shout of greeting. We salute you most affectionately from the bottom of our hearts with sighs and tears and with sighs and tears and the devout genuflection of our hearts, O mother of grace. The children shout for joy at the sound of the pipes and every heart is gladdened by those happy shoes And so at the most sweet remembrance of you I am all on fire with fervor of divine love, desiring to praise you whom the world and its fullness, the heaven of heavens and every power within them praise.

 

Indeed, the goodness of every creature compared to your dignity is the weak glow of the moon compared to the immense brilliance of the sun. For the divine wisdom so excellently adorned you with grace and so abundantly clothed you with goodness that this incomprehensible wisdom reflected in you becomes more desirable to us through your splendor.

 

O precious treasury for us wretched ones! Behold, when through our sin we lost the supreme king, when we offended the angels, when we are burdensome to ourselves and know nothing at all about what we ought to do, then this recourse alone remains for us wretches. We should raise eyes of our heart and of our body to you, seeking counsel and begging, O exultation of my heart, singular hope and joy of my life, you know often with bitter soul, troubled heart, and tearful face I have raised my to you, most holy Virgin, when I have offended God and considered myself destined for hell, when I have been besieged on all sides by enemies. And with your help, blessed Virgin, I have escaped all dangers, Some rejoice over their innocence, others over the abundance of their merits, others may exult in the speedily-given mercy of God, You, my mother. are the hope and the only solace of my life! When I totally despair of God and of myself, by thinking of you, by remembering you, my spirit revives as of the deepest darkness. You are my glory, my salvation, my honor, and my life.

Act and Potency

 

 

 

How can things change and at the same time stay the same?

 

Why is it that a tree has, within its ways of existing, the ability to go through so much change with the seasons and yet still remain the same tree?

 

Is there some relationship that we can infer from our experience of change in things that could deductively lead to the existence of a being that does not change?

 

Is there some relationship that we can infer from our experience of change in things that could deductively lead to the existence of a being that does not change?

 

Change = movement from potency to act

 

contingent things change from what is possible or potential to what exists or is actual

 

“For motion is nothing else than the reduction of something from potentiality to actuality. But nothing can be reduced from potentiality to actuality, except by something in a state of actuality. Thus that which is actually hot, as fire, makes wood, which is potentially hot, to be actually hot, and thereby moves and changes it.”

 

If this relationship is true, then one can deduce the existence of a being that is purely actual, a being that without any potential or potency. Such a being would be all-powerful, because he could not have the potential to gain any power. This being would be all-knowing, since it could not gain any more knowledge. Other attributes can be argued from this position, but the main contention is that a being that is pure actuality must exist necessarily by virtue of its essence. This is because a potency and an act cannot exist in the same being in the same sense. That is, a log cannot both be actually on fire and have the potential to be on fire.

 

A fundamental idea within the natural theology and metaphysics of Thomas Aquinas is the idea of motion or as we would understand it today, change. [2]

 

What is it about the existence of things that allow them to change, and yet stay the same? Why is it that a tree has, within its ways of existing, the ability to go through so much change with the seasons and yet still remain the same tree? Is there some relationship that we can infer from our experience of change in things that could deductively lead to the existence of a being that does not change?  (For more in-depth discussion about the relationship between change, reality, and our knowledge of reality, see Dr. Doug Potter’s Article, Reality: It’s Not Just a Good Idea).

 

The quote above is a concise description of the relationship we commonly call “change.” Thomas Aquinas, following in the tradition of Aristotelian metaphysics, Is there some relationship that we can infer from our experience of change in things that could deductively lead to the existence of a being that does not change? Thus, Thomas Aquinas describes change as a thing moving from potency to act. Or said another way, contingent things change from what is possible or potential to what exists or is actual. Thomas Aquinas described the relationship this way,

“For motion is nothing else than the reduction of something from potentiality to actuality. But nothing can be reduced from potentiality to actuality, except by something in a state of actuality. Thus, that which is actually hot, as fire, makes wood, which is potentially hot, to be actually hot, and thereby moves and changes it.” [3]

 

If this relationship is true, then one can deduce the existence of a being that is purely actual, a being that without any potential or potency. Such a being would be all-powerful, because he could not have the potential to gain any power. This being would be all-knowing, since it could not gain any more knowledge. Other attributes can be argued from this position, but the main contention is that a being that is pure actuality must exist necessarily by virtue of its essence. This is because a potency and an act cannot exist in the same being in the same sense. That is, a log cannot both be actually on fire and have the potential to be on fire. Thomas Aquinas continues his thought:

“Now it is not possible that the same thing should be at once in actuality and potentiality in the same respect, but only in different respects. For what is actually hot cannot simultaneously be potentially hot; but it is simultaneously potentially cold.” [4]

In summary, the terms ‘act’ and ‘potency’ within Aristotelian-Thomistic thought are used to describe the fundamental metaphysical relationship known as change. If a philosopher grants that this relationship corresponds to the way things are in the world, then he is quickly headed towards the world-view of theism.

 

—————————————— END NOTES ——————————————

1. Listing of the 24 Thomistic Theses: http://www.catholicapologetics.info/catholicteaching/philosophy/thomast.htm#_ftn1

2. It is a common misconception that what Thomas means by this term is the idea of Newtonian motion. However, the way in which Thomas is using this word is related to the relationship of change, rather than that of loco-motion.

 

Teresa of Ávila (Teresa of Jesus)

Jesus said to St Teresa, “I gave you My Son, and the Holy Spirit, and the Blessed Virgin. What can you give Me?”

Guided by You

Lord, grant that I may always allow myself to be guided by You,
always follow Your plans,
and perfectly accomplish Your Holy Will.
Grant that in all things, great and small,
today and all the days of my life,
I may do whatever You require of me.
Help me respond to the slightest prompting of Your Grace,
so that I may be Your trustworthy instrument for Your honour.
May Your Will be done in time and in eternity by me,
in me, and through me. Amen.

Let Nothing Disturb You

Let nothing disturb you,
let nothing frighten you,
all things will pass away.
God never changes;
patience obtains all things,
whoever has God lacks nothing.
God alone suffices. Amen.

Lord, You are closer

Lord, you are closer to me than my own breath, nearer to me than my hands and feet. Amen.

To Redeem Lost Time

O My God! Source of all mercy!
I acknowledge Your sovereign power.
While recalling the wasted years that are past, I believe that You, Lord, can in an instant turn this loss to gain.
Miserable as I am, yet I firmly believe that You can do all things.
Please restore to me the time lost, giving me Your grace, both now and in the future, that I may appear before You in “wedding garments.” Amen

Thy Love For Me Is Strong

If Lord, Thy love for me is strong
As this which binds me unto thee,
What holds me from thee Lord so long,
What holds thee Lord so long from me?
O soul, what then desirest thou?
Lord I would see thee, who thus choose thee.

What fears can yet assail thee now?
All that I fear is but lose thee.
Love’s whole possession I entreat,
Lord make my soul thine own abode,
And I will build a nest so sweet
It may not be too poor for God.

A soul in God hidden from sin,
What more desires for thee remain,
Save but to love again,
And all on flame with love within,
Love on, and turn to love again.

A Love Song

Majestic sovereign, timeless wisdom,
your kindness melts my hard, cold soul.
Handsome lover, selfless giver,
your beauty fills my dull, sad eyes.
I am yours, you made me.
I am yours, you called me.
I am yours, you saved me.
I am yours, you loved me.
I will never leave your presence.
Give me death, give me life.
Give me sickness, give me health.
Give me honour, give me shame.
Give me weakness, give me strength.
I will have whatever you give. Amen

Growing Older

Lord, You know better than I myself
that I am growing older and will someday be old.
Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking
I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.

Release me from craving to
straighten out everybody’s affairs.
Make me thoughtful but not moody;
helpful but not bossy.

With my vast store of wisdom,
it seems a pity not to use it all;
but You know, Lord,
that I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details;
give me wings to get to the point.

Seal my lips on my aches and pains;
they are increasing, and love of rehearsing them
is becoming sweeter as the years go by.

I dare not ask for improved memory,
but for a growing humility and a lessening cock-sureness
when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others.
Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.

Keep me reasonably sweet, for a sour old person
is one of the crowning works of the devil.
Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places
and talents in unexpected people;
and give, O Lord, the grace to tell them so. Amen.

(By St Teresa of Avila)

… St Teresa of Avila, Pray for Us …

To St Teresa of Avila (1)

Lord, grant that I may always allow myself
to be guided by You,
always follow Your plans,
and perfectly accomplish Your Holy Will.
Grant that in all things,
great and small,
today and all the days of my life,
I may do whatever You require of me.
Help me respond to the slightest prompting of Your Grace,
so that I may be Your trustworthy instrument for Your honour.
May Your Will be done in time
and in eternity by me, in me, and through me. Amen.

To St Teresa of Avila (2)

O Saint Teresa, seraphic Virgin, beloved spouse of thy crucified Lord, thou who on earth didst burn with a love so intense toward thy God and my God, and now dost glow with a brighter and purer flame in paradise: obtain for me also, I beseech thee, a spark of that same holy fire which shall cause me to forget the world, all things created, and even myself; for thou didst ever avidly desire to see Him loved by all men. Grant that my every thought and desire and affection may be continually directed to doing the will of God, the supreme Good, whether I am in joy or in pain, for He is worthy to be loved and obeyed forever. Obtain for me this grace, thou who art so powerful with God; may I be all on fire, like thee, with the holy love of God. Amen. (By St Alphonsus de’Liguori)

… St Teresa of Avila, Pray for Us …

Thomas Aquinas and the Liturgy, David Berger

 

Thomas Aquinas and the Liturgy, David Berger

 

The Liturgical Spirituality of the Sons of St. Benedict of Nursia

 

The human being that the post conciliar reformed liturgy (as it de facto generally takes shape) seems to produce is hardly one who contemplates and receives. Rather, the actively doing person, someone who thinks he is the active shaper of liturgy, seems to be promoted. To quote Cardinal Ratzinger's oft-expressed criticism, however, such a person underestimates grace-given contemplation in favor of an "active doing . . . the shallow product of the moment." In the life of St. Thomas, we encounter the light of an altogether different understanding of human nature. Almost all biographies present Thomas as  homo magnae contemplationis et orationis  ("a man wholly assigned to contemplation and prayer") .

Indeed, classical liturgy calls for and shapes such a person, devoted to contemplation, capable of receiving, humble, not pelagian, who can above all look wholly away from himself and open himself to one who is greater and other. Such a person recognizes that the liturgy, as Romano Guardini reminded us, has something in common with the stars: "with their eternally fixed and even course, their unchangeable order, their profound silence, and the infinite space in which they are poised. " St. Thomas seems to have been endowed with this contemplative spirit from very early on. He grew up amongst the Benedictines of Monte Cassino, where he was educated in the spirit of St. Benedict of Nursia, in whose order the liturgy holds pride of place both in its importance and in the time spent on it.  The laus perennis of the sons of St. Benedict, the festive celebration of the liturgy, which he was permitted to attend daily as an oblate of the Benedictine abbey, were for him a first schooling through which he was introduced into theology's original mysteries, the principia (ST, I, q. I, a. 5, ad 2).

 

The influence of this schooling still reverberates at the close of Thomas's life. This can be seen in his prologue Postilla super Psalmos,  where he explains the singular significance of the psalms by the fact that they contain the entire contents of theology ("generalem habet totius theologiae"). These are not spread over many different books, as in the rest of the Holy Scriptures, but are concentrated in this one book; not as a narration, report, letter, or instruction, but in the most dignified form, liturgical praise, thanksgiving, and prayer. According to Thomas, wherever theology reverts to the psalms, it shows its character of wisdom in a very special way.

 

The love of singing the psalms in the context of the divine office, founded in Monte Cassino, seems to have stayed alive within Thomas all his life. The best known of Aquinas's early biographers, William of Tocco, who   had the privilege of knowing Thomas personally, reports that Thomas would rise at night before the actual time (or the canonical hour of Matins (cap. 34). A few chapters before (cap. 29) we read: "One also saw him often when he was singing the psalm verse during Compline in Lent: 'Do not reject us in old age, when my strength is failing,' enraptured and consumed by piety, tears streaming down his face that seemed to be bursting forth from the eyes of the pious soul."

Prayers of St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila)

 

Prayers of St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila)

Give me the grace to recollect myself in the little heaven of my soul where You have established Your dwelling. There You let me find You, there I feel that You are closer to me than anywhere else, and there You prepare my soul quickly to enter into intimacy with You…Help me O Lord, to withdraw my senses from exterior things, make them docile to the commands of my will, so that when I want to converse with You, they will retire at once, like bees shutting themselves up in the hive in order to make honey:

O Lord of heaven and earth! Is it possible, while we are still in this mortal life, for us to enjoy You with such special friendship? Oh! The joys which You bestow on souls who give themselves entirely to You! …For the love of the Lord, my soul, wake out of this sleep and remember that God does not keep you waiting until the next life before rewarding you for your love of Him. Your recompense begins in this life.

They that really love You, my Good, walk safely on a broad and royal road.  They are far from the precipice. Hardly have they begun to stumble when You, Lord, give them Your hand.  One fall is not sufficient for a person to be lost nor are many if they love You and not the things of the world.  They journey in the valley of humility.  I cannot understand what it is that makes people afraid of setting out on the road of perfection.  May the Lord, because of who He is, give us an understanding of how wretched is the security that lies in such manifest dangers as following the crowd and how true security lies in striving to make progress on the road of God.  Let them turn their eyes to Him and not fear the setting of this Sun of Justice, nor, if we don’t first abandon Him, will He allow us to walk at night and go astray.

O Lord, who could describe how great a gain it is to cast ourselves into Your arms and make an agreement with You; You take care of my affairs and I of Yours….For what am I Lord without You?  ...What more do I want in this life than to be so near you that there is no division between You and me. O Lord of my life, draw me to Yourself, but do it in such a way that my will may ever remain so united to You that it shall be unable to leave You.

From a sermon by Saint Sophronius, bishop

 

From a sermon by Saint Sophronius, bishop

Through Mary, the Father's blessing has shone forth on mankind

Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. What joy could surpass this, O Virgin Mother? What grace can excel that which God has granted to you alone? What could be imagined more dazzling or more delightful? Before the miracle we witness in you, all else pales; all else is inferior when compared with the grace you have been given. All else, even what is most desirable, must take second place and enjoy a lesser importance.

  The Lord is with you. Who would dare challenge you? You are God’s mother; who would not immediately defer to you and be glad to accord you a greater primacy and honour? For this reason, when I look upon the privilege you have above all creatures, I extol you with the highest praise: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. On your account joy has not only graced men, but is also granted to the powers of heaven.

  Truly, you are blessed among women. For you have changed Eve’s curse into a blessing; and Adam, who hitherto lay under a curse, has been blessed because of you.

  Truly, you are blessed among women. Through you the Father’s blessing has shone forth on mankind, setting them free of their ancient curse.

  Truly, you are blessed among women, because through you your forebears have found salvation. For you were to give birth to the Saviour who was to win them salvation.

  Truly, you are blessed among women, for without seed you have borne, as your fruit, him who bestows blessings on the whole world and redeems it from that curse that made it sprout thorns.

  Truly, you are blessed among women, because, though a woman by nature, you will become, in reality, God’s mother. If he whom you are to bear is truly God made flesh, then rightly do we call you God’s mother. For you have truly given birth to God.

  Enclosed within your womb is God himself. He makes his abode in you and comes forth from you like a bridegroom, winning joy for all and bestowing God’s light on all.

  You, O Virgin, are like a clear and shining sky, in which God has set his tent. From you he comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber. Like a giant running his course, he will run the course of his life which will bring salvation for all who will ever live, and extending from the highest heavens to the end of them, it will fill all things with divine warmth and with life-giving brightness.