In the Spirit of St. Ignatius the Confessor, III Class
Texts for Meditation:
- Epistle: 2 Timothy 2:8–10; 3:10–12
- Gospel: Luke 10:1–9
On this feria quinta of the seventh week after the Octave of Pentecost, falling within the commemoration of Sancti Ignatii Confessoris, the Church places before us a rich harmony of apostolic witness, missionary labor, and sanctity forged in suffering. The readings from St. Paul’s second letter to Timothy and the Gospel of St. Luke present to us the essential call to perseverance in the apostolic life, and the fruits that follow in the vineyard of the Lord.
✠ “I endure all things for the elect.” (2 Tim 2:10)
St. Paul speaks to St. Timothy with the voice of one tested in the crucible of tribulation: “Remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is risen again from the dead… wherein I labour even unto bands, as an evildoer: but the word of God is not bound.” (2 Tim 2:8–9) Here, the Apostle to the Gentiles gives a luminous example of self-forgetting charity. He suffers imprisonment, revilement, cold, and chains—not for his own sake, but “for the elect’s sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus.” (v.10)
This echoes the maxim so beloved by the saints: that the true apostle suffers willingly, not only in imitation of Christ but in communion with His mystical Body. St. John Chrysostom comments:
“Paul’s suffering was not in vain. His bonds were more potent than liberty, his chains more fruitful than diadems.” (Homilies on 2 Timothy)
The Apostle’s hardships are not a stumbling block but a means of sanctification—for himself, and for others. St. Paul says again later in the reading: “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions…” (3:10-11) Thus, the disciple must learn to read Christ in the crucified Apostle. Doctrine alone is not sufficient—it must be proven in endurance.
As St. Gregory the Great wrote:
“The more the preachers of truth suffer in this world, the more abundantly will their teaching be fruitful in the next. The seed that falls beneath the plow is crushed, but only so that it might bear fruit.” (Homilies on the Gospels, I.17)
✠ “The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few.” (Luke 10:2)
The Gospel today takes us to the heart of the missionary command. Our Lord appoints and sends the seventy-two disciples in pairs, a symbol of apostolic communion and ecclesial unity. Christ’s command is urgent: “Go: behold I send you as lambs among wolves.” (v.3) It is not a safe path, but a salvific one. Their poverty (no purse, no scrip) and dependence upon divine Providence is to mirror the Lamb whom they follow.
St. Ambrose sees in these words the foundation of the Church’s evangelistic spirit:
“He sends them two and two, because no one is sufficient for himself alone; charity is the root of mission. Where two are gathered, Christ is in the midst.” (Exposition on Luke 7)
Furthermore, the Lord commands: “Say: Peace be to this house.” (v.5) The apostle is not a mere teacher or reformer, but a bearer of divine peace—a herald of reconciliation between God and man. Yet, if the peace is not received, the apostle does not become embittered; he moves on in charity. As St. Cyril of Alexandria teaches:
“The apostles must not be enraged if their message is rejected. They are not to curse, but to offer peace, which is the mark of the true apostle.” (Commentary on Luke, Hom. 61)
✠ In the Light of St. Ignatius the Confessor
It is fitting that these readings are joined with the feast of Sanctus Ignatius Confessor, one of those radiant souls who, though not martyred in blood, bore the white martyrdom of a life hidden in Christ. The confessors, like the martyrs, embrace the “pattern of sound words” (2 Tim 1:13), persevere through interior trials, and walk in the footsteps of the apostles.
The life of such confessors proves the truth of St. Paul’s words: “And all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.” (2 Tim 3:12) Whether from the world, the flesh, or the devil, opposition comes—but grace abounds all the more. Their fidelity in daily duty, their preaching through silence, their hidden penance—all these make them true laborers in the harvest.
✠ Closing Reflection
The readings today urge us to a deeper participation in the apostolic life: to preach with our lives, to suffer for the sake of the elect, to offer peace where there is strife, and to endure in patience. Let us not be daunted by affliction, nor seduced by comfort. The lives of the apostles, confessors, and martyrs together compose a single symphony—the song of the Lamb, offered by those who follow Him wherever He goes.
In the words of St. Ignatius of Antioch, whose spirit lives on in all true confessors:
“Let me be food for the beasts, through whom I can reach God. I am the wheat of God, and I am ground by the teeth of wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ.” (Epistle to the Romans)
May we too be found worthy to share in such a harvest.
Suggested Prayer:
O God, who didst strengthen Thy Confessor Ignatius to persevere in apostolic doctrine and example, grant us through his intercession both courage in our sufferings and fervor in our labor, that the Word may not be bound in us, but bear fruit in eternal life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.