Overview:

The Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

“I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.” (Psalm 32)

Find today’s readings here.

I heard someone recently describe the psalms as the “heartbeat of the church.” I love that. The psalms also connect us to the church’s greatest saints and martyrs.

Consider St. Ignatius of Antioch, the bishop and martyr we celebrate today. St. Ignatius was condemned to death in his hometown of Antioch but, for some unknown reason, was forced to go to Rome for his execution. What did he do along the way? We know that he met with Christian communities. And no doubt he prayed, perhaps with the psalm we recite today: “I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.”

We know St. Thomas More, another martyr, prayed the psalms. We know because we have the prayer book he kept with him in the Tower of London. It’s on display now at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York. The exhibit’s curators note, “Thomas More was steeped in the Psalms: they offered him intellectual stimulation and consolation alike.” It’s very moving to look at the book he carried with him before his death, especially the marginalia. What insights were revealed to him in those final days?

St. Thomas did not start reading the psalms when he was imprisoned. They had been part of his prayer practice all of his life. “There was an occasion for every psalm, and a psalm for every occasion,” the curators write. “For believers, the psalms were useful for everything.”

So a lesson from the saints, for today and every day: start praying with the psalms. Begin with the readings of the day, or try out a new translation. Get to know the heartbeat of the church, passed down to us through the centuries.

Tim Reidy joined America’s staff in October 2006 and served as online editor for several years before moving into his current role as the deputy editor in chief. Tim oversees America’s newsroom, directing its daily news coverage as well as working with the editorial leadership team to plan each print issue. Tim also edits the magazine’s Ideas section, where he contributes book reviews and essays. Before joining America, he worked at the Hartford Courant, a newspaper in Connecticut, and Commonweal magazine. In addition to writing for America, he has contributed to The New York Times, the Columbia Journalism Review and the Princeton Alumni Weekly. He has been interviewed about the Catholic Church on WNYC in New York, ABC, Bloomberg TV and other media outlets. Tim also serves on the board of directors of Jesuit Refugee Service USA. He lives in Bronxville, N.Y., with his wife and two children.