Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr, c. 115

The Collect:

Rite I:
Almighty God, we praise thy Name for thy bishop and martyr Ignatius of Antioch, who offered himself as grain to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts that he might present to thee the pure bread of sacrifice. Accept, we pray, the willing tribute of our lives and give us a share in the pure and spotless offering of thy Son Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Rite II:
Almighty God, we praise your Name for your bishop and martyr Ignatius of Antioch, who offered himself as grain to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts that he might present to you the pure bread of sacrifice. Accept, we pray, the willing tribute of our lives and give us a share in the pure and spotless offering of your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Romans 8:35-39

³⁵Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶As it is written,
‘For your sake we are being killed all day long;
   we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’
³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm: Psalm 116:1–8

¹ I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of
                            my supplication, *
       because he has inclined his ear to me whenever
                            I called upon him.
² The cords of death entangled me;
  the grip of the grave took hold of me; *
       I came to grief and sorrow.
³ Then I called upon the Name of the Lord: *
      “O Lord, I pray you, save my life.”
⁴ Gracious is the Lord and righteous; *
       our God is full of compassion.
⁵ The Lord watches over the innocent; *
       I was brought very low, and he helped me.
⁶ Turn again to your rest, O my soul, *
       for the Lord has treated you well.
⁷ For you have rescued my life from death, *
       my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
⁸ I will walk in the presence of the Lord *
       in the land of the living.

Gospel: John 12:23-26

²³Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.

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