Daybreak

Thursday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch; became bishop of Antioch in 307, when the emperor forced Christians to choose between apostacy and death; Ignatius chose the latter, and was sentenced to death in Rome; he is famous for the seven letters he wrote during the journey from Antioch to Rome; five were to the churches in Asia Minor, whom he urged to remain faithful and obey their superiors; one was to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who was later martyred for the faith; and one was to the people of Rome, asking them not to try to prevent his martyrdom; St. Ignatius faced the lions in the Circus Maximus in about 107 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/17/24 Gospel: Luke 11:47-54