Man of Letters

Learning a lot from Ignatius’ letters

10/17/2019

Luke 11:47-54 The Lord said: "Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets whom your fathers killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and Apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute' in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter." When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.

Do people write letters anymore? Most contemporary correspondence can be found on blogspots, emails, texts and tweets, and not much of that is worth repeating or remembering. But some letters are. Some letters give us beautiful insights into people’s hearts, their heads and their highest hopes. Letters serve as windows that open up to reveal humanity’s highest ideals. I love reading the correspondence between John and Abigail Adams during the Continental Congress. Even though women were not formally delegates, Abigail’s ideas were present through her pen and paper, in the letters she sent to John, who would become the second president of the United States.

Pope St. John Paul II had a habit of writing annual Holy Thursday letters to the priests of the whole world, filled with his papal love and encouragement. I read those letters whenever I’m feeling down in the priesthood for a little papal pick-me-up. I was visiting a parishioner recently and after dinner she pulled out a letter I had written her five years ago. She was going through a hard time back then and the letter really touched her heart and renewed her hope. I was humbled by how she had held on to that letter like a treasured family heirloom. Do people write letters anymore, and if so, are they worth writing?

Today, October 17, we celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch, a truly remarkable saint for a number of reasons. Perhaps his most memorable achievement – besides martyrdom – was writing seven letters on his way to being killed in Rome. These letters unveil the heart and the hopes and the holiness of St. Ignatius. They also reveal what life was like in the first century immediately after Jesus’ Ascension into heaven. In other words, what was the nascent Church like in those early days? Besides the Bible itself, the writings of the Apostolic Fathers – those who knew the Apostles themselves and talked with them – carry great authority. What I find fascinating is how similar Ignatius’ letters are in style and substance to St. Paul’s 13 letters in the New Testament. Ignatius’ letters were not technically inspired by the Holy Spirit like Sacred Scripture, but they were nonetheless very inspiring.

Ignatius lived from approximately 35 to 110 A.D. According to tradition, St. Ignatius was one of the babies Jesus took in his arms and blessed in Mark 10:16. Ignatius’ seven letters were addressed to the Ephesians, the Trallians, the Philadelphians, the Smyrneans, the Magnesians, the Romans and to his close friend and brother bishop, St. Polycarp. These seven letters give us an insight into life in the second generation of Christianity, like John and Abigail Adams’ letters tell us tons about the Continental Congress.

Let me mention three surprising subjects that Ignatius touches upon in his letters. By the way, he addresses these topics very matter-of-factly, as if there is no debate about them, that is, these topics enjoyed a wide consensus in the Christian community. First, Ignatius is explicit and emphatic that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ. Indeed, there would be no great controversy about the Real Presence until Protestant Reformers questioned it in the 16th century. Secondly, Ignatius urges Christians to be loyal to their bishops, together with their priests and deacons. In the early Church, therefore, we already had a clearly delineated hierarchy of bishop, priest and deacon, just like we do today. And third, Ignatius was the first to use the Greek term “katholikos” (Catholic) to describe the Church, meaning the Church is universal. In other words, where you have the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders, you have the Holy Catholic Church that Jesus founded on Peter in Mt. 16:18. We can learn all that about the early Christian community through reading the seven letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch.

My friends, what kind of letters are you writing these days? Or, what do you post on social media or blogspots, tweets, texts and emails? If someone were to read our correspondence a hundred years from now, what would they learn about the life of the Christian community in the 21st century? Some of it would no doubt be inspiring, but sadly some of it might also be downright embarrassing. Today, ask for the intercession of St. Ignatius before you put pen to paper or your fingers touch the keyboard. Our words may not be technically inspired by the Holy Spirit like those of the authors of Scripture, but they should nonetheless be inspiring.

Praised be Jesus Christ!