The Festival of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
Posted on October 17, 2024 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 6:43-49 (NKJV)
6:43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
Devotion
In last week’s Gospel, Jesus concluded with this statement, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” How do we know if we are the chosen? Some think that they have to plumb the depths of God’s hidden wisdom to discover this. But Christ tells us exactly how to distinguish between the many and the few: “Every tree is known by its own fruit.”
What is the fruit of the elect? Remember the rest of Sunday’s Gospel. Just like those in the highways, the elect hear the Gospel invitation and they receive it. When the Word is preached to them, they receive it with a joyful faith. When the garment of Christ’s righteousness is offered to them, they wear it. When the Lord’s Supper is administered, they eagerly partake. So if you believe the Word and faithfully receive the Sacraments, then you have been chosen by God for salvation.
Sometimes the elect bear the fruit of suffering persecution for Christ’s sake. St. Ignatius bore this good fruit. Like the servants of the king who were killed by those they were inviting to the wedding feast, St. Ignatius was killed for preaching the Gospel. If you are ever fed to wild beasts like St. Ignatius, a secret, uncertain election will not be enough to keep you steadfast. You will need the certainty of the Scriptures, which guarantee that “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.”
Collect: Almighty God, behold our weakness and the sorrows of Thy people, and as Thou didst grant the consolation of Thy Holy Spirit to St. Ignatius in his time of affliction for Thy Name’s sake, so uphold us in our generation, through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Grant, we beseech Thee, Merciful Lord, to Thy faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve Thee with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
