ENTERING OUR HEAVENLY HERITAGE

SAINT IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP, MARTYR

Eph 1:15-23; Ps 8:2-7; Lk 12:8-12

The Divine Power for Our Salvation

We gradually come to understand God’s view of us and the certainty of salvation through our steady journey into Christ Jesus, our Lord. After singing the hymn of praise to God for the wonder of all the heavenly gifts he has entrusted to the saints, whom he has adopted as his own in his Son, Jesus Christ, Saint Paul prayed for this enlightenment for us. “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers.” This enlightenment comes as we grow in our knowledge of Jesus Christ, who is the complete knowledge of God the Father. Everything the Church does is for this enlightenment. As we grow in our knowledge of Jesus through our faith in him, we become aware of the Father’s infinite love for us, which gave us his Only Begotten Son to die for our sins.

The Father’s gift of his Son is the gift of all heavenly glories, which are in his dear Son. It is the gift of his infinite power and wisdom saving us from sin and evil. We see God’s infinite power in the work of our salvation, as detailed in the life, death, and resurrection of the Son of Man. This is what the Church celebrates daily in the Eucharist, calling her children to the stupendous work of our salvation. Through the celebration of the Eucharistic banquet, the Holy Spirit renews the gifts of faith, hope, and charity in each of us, and reassures us of the glory that will be ours at the end of our lives. The same glory that is now Christ’s in heaven will be ours if we continue in our faith, hope, and charity. The power of Spirit is at work within us, as was in Christ.  “This you can tell from the strength of his power at work in Christ, when he used it to raise him from the dead and to make him sit at his right hand, in heaven, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named not only in this age but also in the age to come.” We witness this supreme power in our lives in Christ because we receive him in the reality of the Eucharistic presence, and everything we ask through his name in prayer.

The supreme power God has given the Son of Man for our sake is what the Psalmist praises God for. “How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth! Your majesty is praised above the heavens; on the lips of children and of babes you have found praise to foil your enemy, to silence the foe and the rebel.” The rebels are those who refuse to accept Christ’s authority from the Father for our salvation. Those who refuse to believe in him disobey the Father’s will and will not receive the inheritance of the saints in heaven. The Holy Spirit guarantees our inheritance. Our Lord testifies to this. “I tell you, if anyone openly declares himself for me in the presence of men, the Son of Man will declare himself for him in the presence of the angels. But the man who disowns me in the presence of men will be disowned in the presence of God’s angels.” We confess the name of Jesus Christ daily through our faithful living of the Gospel message.

We identify with him, and he identifies with us; we belong to him by dying to ourselves and fulfilling his mission on earth; he belongs to us as our head, in whose Spirit we share by our baptismal consecration. Because blaspheming against the Spirit, in words or deeds, rejects our heritage in God, the Lord warns: “Everyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” Saint Ignatius of Antioch was so enamoured of the Lord and his passion for our sins that he hungered to pattern his life and death on that of Jesus Christ. He desired martyrdom as we would desire a sumptuous meal and delicate wine. He was the third bishop of Antioch, after St. Peter, before he moved to Rome. He was arrested, condemned to death, and transported to Rome to be thrown to the wild beast in the arena. Ignatius wrote seven letters to various churches on his journey to Rome. These became important documents for the history of the early Church. They reveal his holiness and conformity with God’s will. He was martyred in 107 and has been celebrated since the fourth century in Antioch. We are called to live in the unction of the ever-abiding Holy Spirit to be worthy of our eternal heritage.

Let us pray: Almighty ever-living God, who adorn the sacred body of your Church with the confessions of holy Martyrs, grant, we pray, that, just as the glorious passion of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, which we celebrate today, brought him eternal splendour, so it may be for us unending protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.