“Whispers in Chains, Truth on the Housetops” - Memorial Feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch

Readings 101725

Today, we remember a man who walked toward martyrdom with faith as his compass—
St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop, teacher, witness of the early Church.

Around the year 107 AD, chained and journeying to Rome,
he wrote letters that still breathe life into our liturgy.
He was the first to call the Church “Catholic”—
not just wide in geography, but whole in heart,
one in truth, one in communion, one in Christ.

He proclaimed the Eucharist as truly the body and blood of Jesus.
Not symbol. Not story.
Presence. Real. Living. Divine.
To deny this, he said, was to step outside the faith handed down by the apostles.

Though he led the Church in Antioch—
a city of great importance—
Ignatius still submitted to the Bishop of Rome.
Not out of politics, but out of love for unity.
The Church was not scattered voices,
but one voice, one body, one bride.

And so we hear today’s Scriptures with his witness in mind:

“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Faith is not vague.
It is trust that walks.
It is surrender that moves.
Abraham walked it.
Ignatius walked it.
We are invited to walk it too.

“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed…
what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.”

Ignatius whispered truth in chains.
Now his words ring from pulpits,
from prayer cards,
from catechist circles.
Not because he sought fame—
but because he lived fidelity.

“May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us;
who have put our hope in you.”

Hope is not wishful thinking.
It is anchored in the Eucharist,
in the Church,
in the communion of saints.
It is the kindness of God made visible—
in bread and wine,
in martyrdom and mercy,
in the quiet courage of those who believe.

So today, we ask:
Do we live as members of one Catholic Church—
not just in name, but in heart?

Do we believe, truly, that Christ is present in the Eucharist—
and does that belief shape our lives?

May we walk the path of Abraham.
May we whisper the truth like Ignatius.
And may our lives proclaim, from the housetops,
that we belong to Christ.

Amen.

Prayer: In the Spirit of St. Ignatius of Antioch

Lord Jesus,
you called St. Ignatius to walk the path of faith,
to speak truth in chains,
and to proclaim your presence in the Eucharist.

Make us bold in belief,
humble in communion,
and faithful in witness.

Let our lives echo the unity of your Church—
one voice, one body, one love.

May your kindness be upon us,
we who place our hope in you.

Amen.