Saint Ignatius of Antioch on Christianity

Saint Ignatius of Antioch lived at a time when the Church endured systematic persecution. The Church is persecuted still today. Pope Paul VI’s words are instructive: "It comes as no surprise to the Church that she, no less than her divine Founder, is destined to be a 'sign of contradiction.'" Given the Church’s divine mandate, Saint Ignatius’ stark insight is as profound as it is succinct.

Christianity is greatest when it is hated by the world.

— Saint Ignatius of Antioch

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Prayer for St Ignatius of Antioch’s Intercession

Almighty ever-living God, who adorn the sacred body of your Church with the confessions of holy Martyrs, grant, we pray, that, by the intercession of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, we may grow in our love for the things of God and live in imitation of Christ. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, our Divine Savior. Amen.