Readings
for the Memorial of
St. Ignatius of Antioch
Bishop and Martyr
October 17
MASS
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Galatians 2:19-20
Christo confixus sum cruci; vivo autem, iam non ego; vivit vero in me Christus; in fide vivo Filii Dei, qui dilexit me, et tradidit se ipsum pro me.
I am crucified with Christ, yet I live;
no longer I, but Christ lives in me.
I live by faith in the Son of God,
who has loved me and given himself up for me.
COLLECT
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui sanctorum martyrum confessionibus Ecclesiae tuae sacrum corpus exornas, concede, quaesumus, ut hodierna gloria passionis, sicut beato Ignatio magnificentiam tribuit sempiternam, ita nobis perpetuum munimen operetur.
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 splendor,
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.
FIRST READING Philippians 3:17-4:1
Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Ex omnibus tribulationibus meis eripuit me Dominus.
R. (5) The Lord delivered me from all my fears.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord delivered me from all my fears.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. The Lord delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The Lord delivered me from all my fears.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord delivered me from all my fears.
ALLELUIA James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation,
for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life.
GOSPEL John 12:24-26
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me."
PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Grata tibi sit, Domine, nostrae devotionis oblatio, qui beatum Ignatium, frumentum Christi, per martyrii passionem panem mundum suscepisti.
May this oblation and our homage be pleasing to you, O Lord,
just as you accepted Saint Ignatius, the wheat of Christ,
made pure bread through his martyrdom and passion.
Through Christ our Lord.
COMMUNION ANTIPHON
Frumentum Christi sum; dentibus bestiarum molar, ut panis mundus inveniar.
I am the wheat of Christ to be ground by the teeth of beasts,
that I may be found to be pure bread.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Reficiat nos, Domine, panis caelestis, quem in beati Ignatii natali suscepimus, ac tribuat nos nomine et opere esse christianos.
May the heavenly Bread we have received, O Lord,
on the feast day of Saint Ignatius
renew us, we pray,
and make us Christians in name and in deed.
Through Christ our Lord.
From the Common of One Martyr or of Pastors, except for the following:
Morning Prayer
BENEDICTUS (Canticle of Zechariah)
Antiphon: I seek him who died for us; I long for him who rose for our sake.
COLLECT
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 splendor,
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.
Evening Prayer
MAGNIFICAT (Canticle of Mary)
Antiphon: I hunger for the bread of God, the flesh of Jesus Christ, born of David's seed; I long to drink of his blood, the gift of his unending love.
COLLECT
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 splendor,
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.
Office of Readings
SECOND READING
From a letter to the Romans by St Ignatius of Antioch
(Cap. 4:1-2; 6:1-8, 3: Funk 1,217-223)
I am God's wheat and shall be ground by the teeth of wild animals
I am writing to all the churches to let it be known that I will gladly die for God if only you do not stand in my way. I plead with you: show me no untimely kindness. Let me be food for the wild beasts, for they are my way to God. I am God’s wheat and shall be ground by their teeth so that I may become Christ’s pure bread. Pray to Christ for me that the animals will be the means of making me a sacrificial victim for God.
No earthly pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire.
The time for my birth is close at hand. Forgive me, my brothers. Do not stand in the way of my birth to real life; do not wish me stillborn. My desire is to belong to God. Do not, then, hand me back to the world. Do not try to tempt me with material things. Let me attain pure light. Only on my arrival there can I be fully a human being. Give me the privilege of imitating the passion of my God. If you have him in your heart, you will understand what I wish. You will sympathise with me because you will know what urges me on.
The prince of this world is determined to lay hold of me and to undermine my will which is intent on God. Let none of you here help him; instead show yourselves on my side, which is also God’s side. Do not talk about Jesus Christ as long as you love this world. Do not harbour envious thoughts. And supposing I should see you, if then I should beg you to intervene on my behalf, do not believe what I say. Believe instead what I am now writing to you. For though I am alive as I write to you, still my real desire is to die. My love of this life has been crucified, and there is no yearning in me for any earthly thing. Rather within me is the living water which says deep inside me: “Come to the Father.” I no longer take pleasure in perishable food or in the delights of this world. I want only God’s bread, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, formed of the seed of David, and for drink I crave his blood, which is love that cannot perish.
I am no longer willing to live a merely human life, and you can bring about my wish if you will. Please, then, do me this favour, so that you in turn may meet with equal kindness. Put briefly, this is my request: believe what I am saying to you. Jesus Christ himself will make it clear to you that I am saying the truth. Only truth can come from that mouth by which the Father has truly spoken. Pray for me that I may obtain my desire. I have not written to you as a mere man would, but as one who knows the mind of God. If I am condemned to suffer, I will take it that you wish me well. If my case is postponed, I can only think that you wish me harm.
RESPONSORY