Thoughts for the Day

Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
‘Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.’

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God’s people;
no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray.
No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Ignatius was born probably in Syria, about year 35 CE, and became Bishop of Antioch (modern-day Turkey), the third largest city in the Roman Empire. Nothing is known of his life bar his final journey under armed escort to Rome, and where he was martyred about the year 107 CE. In the course of his journey, he met Polycarp in Smyrna, and wrote a number of letters to various Christian congregations which are among the the greatest treasures of Church. In the face of persecution he appealed to his fellow Christians to maintain unity with their bishop at all costs. His letters reveal his passionate commitment to Christ, and the longing to 'imitate the passion* of my God'.

We may not know much about Ignatius, but he came from Antioch, a city which for the next four hundred years was to be influential along with the city of Alexandria, in producing theologians who would eventually help to settle the question of whether Jesus was divine or human. These two cities developed different views on the matter. Many of these would be settled by two Worldwide Councils, in Nicaea (325 CE) and Chalcedon (451 CE). Their conclusions we can see in the Nicene Creed which many of us say each Sunday at church.

Ignatius longed for his suffering and death believing he would then be with Christ, so it is appropriate that our reading for today is from Isaiah. It's a hymn, and one of the most beautiful poems ever written. After great tribulation and suffering pilgrims are brought to safety - to Heaven we would say, today. God has rescued His suffering ones and brought them home.

* 'Passion' meaning 'suffering'.

Collect for Saint Ignatius

Feed us, O Lord, with the living bread
and make us drink deep of the cup of salvation
that, following the teaching of Your bishop Ignatius
and rejoicing in the faith
with which he embraced a martyr's death,
we may be nourished for that eternal life
for which he longed.
Amen.