The Feast of St Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr.

"Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips, and the world in your heart." (St Ignatius of Antioch).

"Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”

"Jesus replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

"Then he told them a parable.

“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.

"He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’

"But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’

"Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”  (Luke 12:  13 -  21).

Monday 17th October 2022 of the 29th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of a giant of our faith: St Ignatius of Antioch. (+ 107). Syrian. Bishop and Martyr. Ordained Bishop by St Peter himself. Father of the Church. Ground to pieces by wild beasts under the persecution of Emperor Trajan.

Why is St Ignatius of Antioch pivotal in the history of the Church? Anyone ordained Bishop by the Apostle Peter has a claim to fame. But for St Ignatius of Antioch, there are other reasons. During his journey from Antioch to Rome under heavy armed guards, Ignatius composed seven extraordinary letters. These letters are the earliest authoritative teaching on the Eucharist, the hierarchy of the Church, etc.

Ignatius was torn to pieces by the iron teeth of wild beasts because he acknowledged Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior before Emperor Trajan.

Our key Scripture for today is the self congratulatory words of the foolish rich man whose land produced abundant harvest. He did not give thanks to God. He did not share his bounty with the poor.  He received a jolting message from God who is our Divine Providence:

"You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?" (Luke 12: 20).

From the beginning of salvation history, God has taught man to trust in Him for all his needs. Below are a few relevant Scriptures:

#1. Gather the manna you need for one day.  The next day, "I the Lord Your God will supply fresh manna for the new day." (Cf Exodus 16: 21 - 35).
Hoarding is idolatry. Deal with your insecurity with prayer.

#2. "Give us today the food we need."  (Matthew 6: 11).
God who is our Providence knows exactly what we need and when we need it.

#3.  "Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil."  (Matthew 6 : 34).
God says: My Name is: I AM. My Name is not I WAS. My Name is not I WILL BE.
Learn from God's Name that He is always Emmanuel, God with you always. He is in control everywhere, in everything and always. Do not be fooled by what you consider accidents or coincidences.

Jesus promises that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His holiness, God who knows what we need and when we need it will never fail to provide adequately for us.

Do not allow wealth to be a snare for you.  Rather make your wealth the trusting of God's promises. God wants His faithful promises to be our protection and armor in every situation. (Cf Psalm 94: 4). Not even a single one of them has failed.

Below is St Ignatius of Antioch in his own words:

“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.” (St Ignatius of Antioch).

10. 17  “The Rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who loves His Mother.” (St Louis Marie de Monfort).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com