Gospel 2-1-24. John 12:24-26. St Ignatius, Bishop and Martyr.
Amen, amen I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die,
Amen, amen dico vobis, nisi granum frumenti cadens in terram, mortuum fuerit,
25 Itself remaineth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world, keepeth it unto life eternal.
ipsum solum manet : si autem mortuum fuerit, multum fructum affert. Qui amat animam suam, perdet eam; et qui odit animam suam in hoc mundo, in vitam aeternam custodit eam.
26 If any man minister to me, let him follow me; and where I am, there also shall my minister be. If any man minister to me, him will my Father honour.
Si quis mihi ministrat, me sequatur, et ubi sum ego, illic et minister meus erit. Si quis mihi ministraverit, honorificabit eum Pater meus.
Like St Polycarp, Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch, was a disciple of St John the Apostle. His letters are precious documents for our Faith. He was sent in chains to Rome and, when condemned to the wild beasts, exclaimed: "I am the wheat of Christ; may I be ground by the fangs of wild beasts and become bread agreeable to my Lord!" A.D. 110.
