If you had one message to the world, what would it be? 

Ignatius of Antioch might have lived two thousand years ago, but we’re still benefiting today from the message he had for the world. Ignatius was the third bishop of Antioch—one of the most important cities in Christian history. 

Think about what the world was like during Anitoch’s lifetime, right after Jesus died and rose again. Ignatius likely knew some of the Apostles…and legend has it that he might have been one of the children who met Jesus in the 18th chapter of Matthew. After an incredible life of following Jesus and standing up for the faith, Ignatius was killed by lions in Rome, all for the crime of being Christian. 

Most of what we know about Ignatius is what’s found in his seven letters that he wrote to Christian churches and Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna. It’s within these letters that Ignatius shared his message of faith with the world. Here are a few exceptional moments of wisdom from his writings: 

“Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips, and the world in your heart.”

“We recognize a tree by its fruit, and we ought to be able to recognize a Christian by his action.” 

“It is better for me to die in Christ Jesus than to be the king over the ends of the earth.”

"My dear Jesus, my Savior, is so deeply written in my heart, that I feel confident, that if my heart were to be cut open and chopped to pieces, the name of Jesus would be found written on every piece." 

“It is not that I want merely to be called a Christian, but actually to be one. Yes, if I prove to be one, then I can have the name.”

Read over this list slowly. They all share a powerful message. They all speak the truth that our Christian faith is real and alive only when we back it up with action. These words are 2,000 years old, but they still have incredible power. The man who wrote them gave his life for his faith. He lived the message he shared with the world.

What will your message for the world be?



Feast Day: October 17

Patron Saint of: The Church in the Eastern Mediterranean and In North Africa

Symbols: Lions and Chains

Canonized: March 26, 1267

Canonized By: Pope Clement IV