Thursday, June 28, 2007
St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr
IRENAEUS, IN KEEPING WITH HIS NAME, WAS A MAN OF PEACE; HE FOUGHT STRENUOUSLY FOR THE PEACE OF THE CHURCH
Today, the Universal Church commerates St. Irenaeus, bishop and martyr. St. Irenaeus was born at Smyrna about 130 to Grecian Christian parents who were probably from Lesser Asia. His parents placed him under the care of St. Polycarp (the bishop of Smyrna at that time), whom St. Irenaeus became a disciple of. He was well educated and probably knew and was influenced by men who knew the apostles; especially St. Polycarp, who had been a pupil of St. John.
St. Irenaeus became a priest at Lyons, France by the year 177, during the time of persecution there. A powerful defender of the faith against the heresies of the Gnostics, he was soon made bishop of Lyons after his predecessor, St. Pothinus, was martyred.
As bishop he carried on a great and fruitful work: converting all Lyons to Christianity and devoting particular attention to trying to reconcile the numerous sects which menaced the existence of the church. His five-book treatise against the heresy of Gnosticism in Gaul conveys the apostolic tradition in it and is a powerful testimony to the primacy of the Pope.
St. Irenaeus suffered martyrdom about the year 202, under the Emperor Severus, at Lyons.
Let us thank our Heavenly Father for St. Irenaeus:
O God who didst enable the blessed Irenaeus, Thy Martyr and Bishop, to overcome heresies by the truth of doctrine (II Tim. 3:14-17, 4:1-5) and happily to establish peace in the Church: we beseech Thee, give to Thy people constancy in holy religion, and grant us Thy peace in our time. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Irenaeus, pray for us!
Labels: Bishops, Catholic Belief, Early Church, Martyr, Prayer, Quote, Saints
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
