St. Ignatius of Antioch was born in Syria in the year AD 45. He was a zealous convert of St. John the Evangelist and became the third Bishop of Antioch. From the years 94 to 96, the second great persecution of Christians raged under Emperor Domitian, and St. Ignatius tirelessly instilled hope and courage in the faithful so that they might profess their faith, even at the cost of life. After a brief period of peace, Trajan initiated a third persecution during his reign. St. Ignatius once again proved himself to be a faithful and intrepid leader of the Church in Antioch, both by word and by example. He once said, "A Christian does not live for himself alone. He belongs to God!" In 107, he was arrested as the main leader of Christian resistance to the imperial edict and was brought before Trajan, who happened to be in Antioch at the time. Ignatius fearlessly replied to a derogatory remark made by the Emperor, saying, "Call me, not a poor wretch, for I bear God within me!" Trajan ordered that he be sent to Rome to be devoured by wild beasts in the Coliseum. At 62 years old, the journey to Rome proved to be a great ordeal for Ignatius, but it also took on a triumphant aspect as large numbers of Christians turned out to meet him all along the way across Asia Minor and northern Greece. Distant churches sent delegates with messages of homage and affectionate sympathy. At Smyrna, where he stayed for a long time, he was greeted by his friend St. Polycarp. From there, Ignatius' well-known letters to the Churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, and Tralles were dispatched. These letters were filled with pastoral zeal, touching on various aspects of the faith. Ignatius was ready and eager to die for the faith. He used to say, to those who were desirous of working for his release: "I am the wheat of the Lord and must be ground by the teeth of wild beasts to become the pure bread of the Lord Jesus Christ" - words which have been preserved in the communion prayer of his Mass. Two ferocious lions were let loose upon the Bishop, who kept reiterating the Holy Name of Jesus. The story of his last journey and courageous martyrdom was written by two disciples who had accompanied him to Rome and who bore back to Antioch the few remains of their martyred Bishop that they were able to collect. St. Ignatius is invoked against soreness of the throat.
St. Ignatius of Antioch, pray that we may understand the words of Jesus to his disciples: "The man who loves his life loses it, while the man who hates his life in this world preserves it to life eternal."
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