Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr
St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr (†107). Disciple of St. John the Evangelist, he was the Bishop of Antioch. He died torn by wild beasts in the Amphitheatre of Rome.
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Mass Readings
First Reading – Eph 1:1-10
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the holy ones who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. In Christ we have redemption by his Blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4, 5-6 (R. 2a)
R.The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm. R.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel. R.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise. R.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD. R.
Gospel – Lk 11:47-54
The Lord said: “Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets whom your fathers killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute’ in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.
Featured Saints
St. Francois Isidore Gagelin, priest and martyr (†1833). As a small boy in a devout French family that provided refuge for faithful clerics during the French Revolution, he longed to be a priest and a martyr. He became a priest of the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris and died during the persecutions in Vietnam.
St. Richard Gwyn, martyr (†1584). Father of a family and schoolteacher in Wales, he converted to the Catholic Faith and was imprisoned for four years and executed for his efforts to lead others to the Faith.
St. Hosea, Prophet. By his words and example of life, he proclaimed the Lord as the ever-faithful Spouse of infinite mercy.
Blessed Jacques Burin, priestand martyr (†1794). He clandestinely carried out his pastoral ministry during the French Revolution, until being shot to death while celebrating Mass in Laval.
Blessed Peter of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Casani, presbítero (†1647). priest (†1647). Piarist religious who died in Rome; He was a child educator and also attracted multitudes with his preaching.
Blessed Gilbert the Cistercian, abbot (†1167). Born in England, he was a Cistercian abbot; a man of great knowledge, he defended St. Thomas Beckett in exile.
Blesseds Marie Natalie of St. Louis Vanot and companions, virgins and martyrs (†1794). Religious of the Ursuline Order guillotined in Valenciennes during the French Revolution.
Blessed Tarsila Cordoba Belda, mother of a family, martyr (†1936). In Valencia, Spain, during the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Civil War, she hid Church goods and cared for nuns in hiding until she was discovered, imprisoned and killed.
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