A
reflection on 2 Corinthians 1:3,4
“Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and
God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every
affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction
with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.” [2 Corinthians 1: 3, 4]
St.
Paul reminds us that Compassion and Encouragement are necessary components in
our spiritual lives. We need these now,
to accept the Grace that Our Lord and Savior offers us. I want to share with you some thoughts on two
Saints, Ignatius of Antioch and Francis de Sales.
1st
Saint Ignatius of Antioch’s Story
Ignatius converted to
Christianity, who became the third bishop of Antioch. In the year 107, Emperor
Trajan visited Antioch and forced the Christians there to choose between death
and apostasy.
Ignatius would not deny
Christ was condemned to death in Rome.
He wrote seven letters on
the long journey from Antioch to Rome, they urge the Christians there to remain faithful to God and to obey their
superiors.
The final letter begs
the Christians in Rome not to try to stop his martyrdom. “The only thing I ask
of you is to allow me to offer the libation of my blood to God. I am the wheat
of the Lord….”
Ignatius bravely met the
lions in the Circus Maximus; the devil is still prowling in our world today.
Ignatius’s great concern
was for the unity and order of the Church. He did not draw attention to his own
suffering, but to the love of God, which strengthened him.
He knew the price of
commitment and would not deny Christ, even to save his own life.
The
2nd Saint Francis deSales gave us a prayer we need to pray during
this time of turmoil. Day Is Ending let
me share it with you today:
Thank you for
all the gifts of the day,
for the place I spent it
And for those with whom I spent it, for all its joys
and all its sorrows, for the troubles overcome
and for those that remain.
I offer you the silence of this night, its darkness and its solitude.
Whether you chose under the cover of this night to take away the problems of this day, or leave them for tomorrow, I will bless your name.
for the place I spent it
And for those with whom I spent it, for all its joys
and all its sorrows, for the troubles overcome
and for those that remain.
I offer you the silence of this night, its darkness and its solitude.
Whether you chose under the cover of this night to take away the problems of this day, or leave them for tomorrow, I will bless your name.
Thy will be done. Amen.
May God Be Praised!
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