SAINT OF THE DAY

FRIDAY, 23 FEBRUARY, 2024

SAINT POLYCARP OF SMYRNA

BISHOP AND MARTYR

(A.D.69 - 155 A.D.)

St. Polycarp was one of the apostolic Fathers who heard the Apostle John preach and became his disciple. He received St. Ignatius when he came as a prisoner on his way to martyrdom in Rome in 110 A. D. In his letter to Polycarp, Ignatius urged him to "Give ye heed to the bishop that God may give heed to you." Polycarp subsequently became Bishop of Smyrna.

St. Irenaeus praises him for his respect and devotion to tradition and sound doctrine. He may have been him whom St. John addressed in Revelation 2: 11, as the "angel of the church in Smyrna," to whom the Master says, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." About 155 or 156 A.D. he was sentenced to a martyr's death. Below are excerpts from his only surviving letter and from the "The Martyrdom of Polycarp," the oldest extant account of Christian martyrdom, written in the form of a letter from the Church of Symyrna to the Church of God at Philomelium in Greater Phrygia.

[SECOND] LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS
(135 A.D.)

CHAPTER 6
[HIS ADVICE TO PRIESTS AND LAITY]

"And let the presbyters be compassionate and merciful to all, bringing back those that wander, visiting all the sick, and not neglecting the widow, the orphan, or the poor, but always 'providing for that which is becoming in the sight of God and man; ' abstaining from all wrath, respect of persons, and unjust judgment; keeping far off from all covetousness, not quickly crediting [an evil report] against any one, not severe in judgment, as knowing that we are all under a debt of sin. If then we entreat the Lord to forgive us, we ought also ourselves to forgive; for we are before the eyes of our Lord and God, and 'we must all appear at the judgment-seat of Christ, and must every one give an account of himself.' Let us then serve Him in fear, and with all reverence, even as He Himself has commanded us, and as the apostles who preached the Gospel unto us, and the prophets who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Lord [have alike taught us]. Let us be zealous in the pursuit of that which is good, keeping ourselves from causes of offence, from false brethren, and from those who in hypocrisy bear the name of the Lord, and draw away vain men into error."

THE MARTYRDOM OF SAINT POLYCARP

[9: 3]
[Before being burned alive] "When the [Roman] Proconsul urged him and said, 'Take the oath [to the emperor as god] and I will release you; revile Christ' Polycarp answered: 'Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has never done wrong.' How then, should I be able to blaspheme my King who has saved me?"

[14: 3]
". . . In this way and for all things I do praise you, I do bless you, I do glorify you through the eternal and heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ, your beloved Child: through whom be glory to you with Him and with the Holy Spirit, both now and through ages yet to come. Amen."

[15]
"When he had pronounced this amen, and so finished his prayer, those who were appointed for the purpose kindled the fire. And as the flame blazed forth in great fury, we, to whom it was given to witness it, beheld a great miracle, and have been preserved that we might report to others what then took place. For the fire, shaping itself into the form of an arch, like the sail of a ship when filled with the wind, encompassed as by a circle the body of the martyr. And he appeared within not like flesh which is burnt, but as bread that is baked, or as gold and silver glowing in a furnace. Moreover, we perceived such a sweet odour [coming from the pile], as if frankincense or some such precious spices had been smoking there."

[16]
"At length, when those wicked men perceived that his body could not be consumed by the fire, they commanded an executioner to go near and pierce him through with a dagger. And on his doing this, there came forth a dove, and a great quantity of blood, so that the fire was extinguished; and all the people wondered that there should be such a difference between the unbelievers and the elect, of whom this most admirable Polycarp was one, having in our own times been an apostolic and prophetic teacher, and bishop of the Catholic Church which is in Smyrna. For every word that went out of his mouth either has been or shall yet be accomplished."

[19]
"This, then, is the account of the blessed Polycarp, who, being the twelfth that was martyred in Smyrna (reckoning those also of Philadelphia), yet occupies a place of his own in the memory of all men, in so much that he is everywhere spoken of by the heathen themselves. He was not merely an illustrious teacher, but also a pre-eminent martyr, whose martyrdom all desire to imitate, as having been altogether consistent with the Gospel of Christ. For, having through patience overcome the unjust governor, and thus acquired the crown of immortality, he now, with the apostles and all the righteous [in heaven], rejoicing(ly) glorifies God, even the Father, and blesses our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls, the Governor of our bodies, and the Shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world."

PATRON: Against ear ache, dysentery.

PRAYER: God of all creation, who were pleased to give the Bishop Saint Polycarp a place in the company of the Martyrs, grant, through his intercession, that sharing with him in the chalice of Christ, we may rise through the Holy Spirit to eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.