BL. IGNATIUS MALOYAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR - 11 JUNE

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JUNE

Saints celebrated on the 11th of June

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

BL. IGNATIUS MALOYAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR

"To become a traitor to the Christian religion - never!"

On October 7, 2001, Pope John Paull II beatified the Armenian martyr Ignatius Maloyan (1869-1915). Despite torture, this holy Catholic Bishop refused to renounce his Christian faith and convert to Islam.

SPIRITUAL COMBAT

"Archbishop Ignatius Maloyan, who died a martyr when he was 46, reminds us of every Christian's spiritual combat, whose faith is exposed to the attacks of evil. 

IT IS IN THE EUCHARIST THAT HE DREW, DAY BY DAY, THE STRENGTH

It is in the Eucharist that he drew, day by day, the force necessary to accomplish his priestly ministry with generosity and passion, dedicating himself to preaching, to a pastoral life connected with the celebration of the sacraments and to the service of the neediest. 

A SPIRIT OF COURAGE

Throughout his existence, he fully lived the words of St Paul: "God has not given us a spirit of fear but a spirit of courage, of love and self control" (II Tim 1,14. 7). 

HE DID NOT ACCEPT ANY COMPROMISE

Before the dangers of persecution, Bl. Ignatius did not accept any compromise, declaring to those who were putting pressure on him, "It does not please God that I should deny Jesus my Saviour. To shed my blood for my faith is the strongest desire of my heart". May his example enlighten all those who today wish to be witnesses of the Gospel for the glory of God and for the salvation of their neighbour." 

(From the homily of Pope John Paul II)