During the Apostolic era, John the Apostle and Evangelist had a group of students, forming the Johannine community in the growing nascent Church. Two outstanding ones are St. Polycarp and St. Ignatius of Antioch. This means that these students of John became excellent apologists of the authentic Christianity, defending the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which they directly learned from John, who were with him as his disciple. As John passionately fought against rising heresies, so did Polycarp and Ignatius.
Polycarp became bishop of Smyrna and Ignatius became bishop
of Antioch, keeping the faith of early Christians burning under severe persecution.
It also meant to risk their lives. In fact, both Polycarp and Ignatius were
martyred. And they are venerated Saints of the Church. The feast of St.
Polycarp of Smyrna is February 23 and the feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch is October
17.
A legend says that Ignatius was one of the children
blessed by Jesus with these words:
Let
the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to
such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God
like a child will not enter it (Mark 10:14-15).
The credibility of this legend aside, Ignatius entered
the Kingdom. However, the way he earned the citizenship of the Kingdom was his
martyrdom, being eaten by lions in the Roman Colosseum, after intensifying
suffering due to persecution for not only keeping the faith but being promotor
and defender of it.
Ignatius was arrested in Antioch and brought to Rome
in chain. On the way to Rome to die, he had to endure series of tortures. But
he continued to teach and invigorated the faith of Christians along the way.
This is similar to how the 26 martyred Saints in Nagasaki strengthened the
faith of Christians who witnessed them marching in peace and joyfully singing “Te
Deus” on their journey of more than 500 miles from Kyoto, where their ears
were cut off, to Nagasaki, where they were crucified to death. St. Paul Miki,
who was about to be ordained as the first Japanese Jesuit priest, kept
preaching to those who watched them march. For Ignatius, his teaching while
being sent to Rome was to write his epistles. Knowing that his time was
strictly limited, he poured all his heart, soul, and strength in writing, in
terms of unity in the Church, obedience to the teaching of Christ, passed by
the Apostles, pastoral roles of bishops, defending the teaching against
heresies, and significance of martyrdom. While he was held in Smyrna, he wrote the
Epistle to the Ephesians, the Epistle to the Magnesians, and the Epistles to
the Trailians. Then met his friend, with whom he studied under John, Polycarp,
who served as bishop there, and handed these epistles to him. Then he wrote the
Epistles to the Philadelphians, the Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, and the Epistle
to Polycarp when he was held in Traos. While there, Ignatius learned that
Christians in Rome were trying to intervene the Roman authorities to avert his
execution. To this, Ignatius strongly opposed, as he believed that martyrdom
was his way to secure the heavenly citizenship. So, he wrote the Epistle to the
Romans.
This makes Ignatius comparable to Paul of Tarsus, who
also vigorously wrote his epistles to various Churches, mainly while being
imprisoned.
Perhaps, Ignatius’ thoughts in anticipating his
martyrdom was similar to that of Paul, expressed in these words:
For I am already being poured out like a
libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have
finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of
righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on
that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance
(2 Timothy 4:6-8).
In writing to Christians in Rome, contemplating his martyrdom
in anticipation, Ignatius wrote:
I write to the Churches, and impress on them all, he that I shall willingly die for God, unless you hinder me. I beseech of you not to show an unseasonable good-will towards me. Allow me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God. I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ. Rather entice the wild beasts, that they may become my tomb, and may leave nothing of my body; so that when I have fallen asleep in death, I may be no trouble to any one. Then shall I truly be a disciple of Christ, when the world shall not see so much as my body. Entreat Christ for me, that by these instruments I may be found a sacrifice to God. I do not, as Peter and Paul, issue commandments unto you. They were apostles; I am but a condemned man: they were free, while I am, even until now, a servant. But when I suffer, I shall be the freed-man of Jesus, and shall rise again emancipated in Him. And now, being a prisoner, I learn not to desire anything worldly or vain (St. Ignatius of Antioch, the Epistle to the Romans, Chapter 4).
Ignatius sees himself as a libation (2 Timothy 4:6) to wild beasts, the persecutors, associating this with the pure bread of Christ, which the Living Bread of Life (John 6:51), namely the Eucharistic Bread. So, he considered himself as the wheat of God to be crushed to the ground by way of being eaten by the beasts of the world, the persecutors. As the wheat of God, Ignatius hopes that his martyrdom leads to greater faith of Christians, as a grain of wheat that falls to the ground will yield abundant harvest, as reflected in the Gospel Reading of his memorial feast (John 12:24-26). Indeed, Ignatius’ life continues to feed and fuel our faith and the life of the Church, in light of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
The above words of Ignatius also show his anticipation
for heavenly citizenship (Philippians 3:20), as Paul was looking forward to
receiving the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8a) for keeping his faith and
offering himself as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). Through these words,
Ignatius sees himself to be truly free person as the citizen of heaven, as
being emancipated in Christ through his suffering into martyrdom and being
raised. This soteriological vision in anticipating his martyrdom is reflected
in the First Reading of his feast (Philippians 3:17-4:1).
A child blessed by Jesus for his Kingdom, Ignatius of
Antioch, has been beatified and sanctified there as Saint. And the way he
entered the Kingdom and had his citizenship of the Kingdom confirmed by Jesus was
to be the wheat of God, devoured by the wild beasts in the Roman
Colosseum, for being a staunch apologist and propagator of the faith and the
teaching.
Now, how does the life of St. Ignatius of Antioch nourish
and invigorate your faith in your hope to be a citizen of heaven?
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