Office Of Readings | Week 4, Sunday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From Saint Ignatius Of Antioch’s Letter To The Church Of Smyrna | Jesus Christ Has Called Us To His Kingdom And Glory

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Office Of Readings | Week 4, Sunday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From Saint Ignatius Of Antioch’s Letter To The Church Of Smyrna | Jesus Christ Has Called Us To His Kingdom And Glory

‘Christ has called us to his kingdom and his glory.’

In this reading from his letter to the Church of Smyrna, Saint Ignatius of Antioch sets out a clear and careful confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Writing as a bishop on his way to martyrdom, he addresses a community he knows to be firm in faith and love, and he seeks to strengthen them in the truth of Christ’s person and saving work.

Ignatius begins by praising the Church at Smyrna for its spiritual vitality. He attributes their Christian wisdom and steadfastness to Christ himself, whom he openly calls God. Their faith is described in vivid terms: they are bound to Christ as if nailed to his cross, sharing in his love through the blood he shed.

The central part of the reading sets out what Ignatius considers essential Christian belief about Jesus Christ. Ignatius affirms both Christ’s true humanity and his true divinity. Jesus is of the line of David according to the flesh, born of the Virgin Mary and baptised by John. At the same time, Jesus is the Son of God by divine will and power. Ignatius insists on the historical reality of Christ’s suffering, naming Pontius Pilate and Herod to underline that these events took place in time and space, not in myth or symbol.

The crucifixion and resurrection are presented as the foundation of the Church. By his passion, Jesus Christ brought salvation; by his resurrection, he gathered both Jews and Gentiles into one body. The Church is therefore not a human organisation but the living result of Christ’s saving work.

Ignatius then addresses a question that was controversial in his time: whether Christ truly had a physical body after the resurrection. He answers firmly that he did. He appeals to the Gospel accounts in which the risen Jesus invites the disciples to touch him and eats with them. These details are important for Ignatius because they confirm that Christ’s victory over death was not merely spiritual but involved the whole human person.

The reading ends with Ignatius acknowledging that he is reminding Christians of what they already believe. His purpose is not to introduce new teaching but to secure the Church in the truth that sustains faith, courage, and hope, especially in the face of suffering and death.

A Reading From Saint Ignatius Of Antioch’s Letter To The Church Of Smyrna | Jesus Christ Has Called Us To His Kingdom And Glory

From Ignatius, known as Theophorus, to the Church of God the Father and of Jesus Christ, his beloved, at Smyrna in Asia, wishing you all joy in an immaculate spirit and the Word of God. By his mercy you have won every gift and lack none, filled as you are with faith and love, beloved of God and fruitful in sanctity.

I celebrate the glory of Jesus Christ as God, because he is responsible for your wisdom, well aware as I am of the perfection of your unshakeable faith. You are like men who have been nailed body and soul to the cross of Jesus Christ, confirmed in love by his blood.

In regard to the Lord, you firmly believe that he was of the race of David according to the flesh, but God’s son by the will and power of God; truly born of the Virgin and baptized by John, that all justice might be fulfilled; truly nailed to a cross in the flesh for our sake under Pontius Pilate and the Tetrarch Herod, and of his most blessed passion we are the fruit. And thus, by his resurrection he raised up a standard over his saints and faithful ones for all time (both Jews and Gentiles alike) in the one body of his Church. For he endured all this for us, for our salvation; and he really suffered, and just as truly rose from the dead.

As for myself, I am convinced that he was united with his body even after the resurrection. When he visited Peter and his companions, he said to them: Take hold of me, touch me and see that I am not a spirit without a body. Immediately they touched him and believed, clutching at his body and his very spirit. And for this reason they despised death and conquered it. In addition, after his resurrection, the Lord ate and drank with them like a real human being, even though in spirit he was united with his Father.

And so I am giving you serious instruction on these things, dearly beloved, even though I am aware that you believe them to be so.

Christian Prayer With Jesus Christ

Lord Jesus Christ,
true God and true man,
you were born, suffered, died, and rose again
for our salvation.

Strengthen our faith
in the truth of your life, death, and resurrection.
Bind us to you in love,
as members of your one body, the Church.

Give us courage to stand firm
when we face trial or fear,
and help us to share
in the hope of your risen life.

May we live in the light of your victory over death
and bear witness to your saving power
in all that we do.

You who live and reign for ever and ever.
Amen

Glossary Of Christian Terms

Theophorus | A name used by Ignatius meaning ‘God-bearer’
Sanctity | Holiness of life shaped by God’s grace
Son of David | A title for the Messiah, showing Christ’s human lineage
Virgin | Mary, the mother of Jesus
Pontius Pilate | The Roman governor who condemned Jesus
Herod | The ruler involved in the trial of Jesus
Passion | The suffering and death of Christ
Resurrection | Christ’s rising from the dead
One body | The Church united in Christ
True humanity | The belief that Christ was fully human
True divinity | The belief that Christ was fully God
Martyrdom | Suffering or death for faith in Christ