Wednesday of week 28 in Ordinary Time, or Saint Hedwig, Religious

, or Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin

Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop, MartyrOffice of Readings | Morning Prayer | Evening Prayer | Night Prayer | MassSt Ignatius of Antioch (- 107)

He was the third bishop of Antioch, the first being St Peter until he moved to Rome, and the second being Evodius. He was arrested (some writers believe that he must have been denounced by a fellow-Christian), condemned to death, and transported to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts in the arena. In one of his letters he describes the soldiers who were escorting him as being like “ten leopards, who when they are kindly treated only behave worse.”In the course of his journey he wrote seven letters to various churches, in which he dealt wisely and deeply with Christ, the organisation of the Church, and the Christian life. They are important documents for the early history of the Church, and they also reveal a deeply holy man who accepts his fate and begs the Christians in Rome not to try to deprive him of the crown of martyrdom.He was martyred in 107 and his feast was already being celebrated on this day in fourth-century Antioch.See the articles in Wikipedia and the Catholic Encyclopaedia.

Saint Luke, EvangelistOffice of Readings | Morning Prayer | Evening Prayer | Night Prayer | MassSaint Luke, Evangelist

He was a Greek doctor who converted to Christianity. He was a companion of the Apostle Paul, and wrote his Gospel in accordance with Paul’s teaching. He also wrote the Acts of the Apostles, which narrates the early history of the Church up to Paul’s first stay in Rome. As a Greek, he takes care to explain to Gentile readers Jewish customs and the meaning of Hebrew words.