Today we remember Saint
Ignatius, Bishop and Martyr.
We also celebrate Saint Bridget of Kildare.
Also, this is Candlemas
Eve. This is the LAST DAY of
Christmas. The totally last
day. This is it. Take down the tree and the lights. Put the reindeer away. “Down with the holly and the
mistletoe…”
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“The birthday of St.
Ignatius, bishop and martyr, who governed the church of Antioch, the third
after the apostle St. Peter. Being
condemned to the beasts in the persecution of Trajan, he was by that emperor
sent to Rome in chains, where, in the presence of the Senate, he was subjected to
the most frightful torments, and delivered to the lions, which lacerated him
with their teeth, and made of him a sacrifice to Christ.”
Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch (died c107),
is, like his friend Polycarp of Smyrna and Clement of Rome, one of the
Apostolic Fathers, those men who had personal contact with the Apostles and
received the deposit of faith directly from them. He is said to have been chosen by Saint Peter to succeed Bishop
Evodius (who died around the year 67), his own successor to the chair of
Antioch, making him the third Bishop (after Peter) of that See.
For over thirty years,
Ignatius continued to guide and strengthen his flock, first through the
persecution of the emperor Domitian, who deified himself, and then, after a
short period of peace, during further persecutions under the emperor
Trajan. In response to a complaint
that the huge number of Christians had caused the market value of sacrificial
animals to drop (and the sellers of same to go out of business), Trajan made
one of those economic stimulus decisions so popular among those who can’t see
past their own wallets, and outlawed Christianity. Those people who admitted to being Christians and refused to
sacrifice to the state gods were to be punished with death.
Ignatius was soon denounced
under the edict, and with eloquence and zeal, defended his faith in
Christ. For this, he was sentenced
to be taken to Rome and thrown to the lions for the enjoyment of the
spectators.
On the long journey to Rome,
Ignatius found time to pen several letters to various churches, exhorting the Christians
to stand fast in the Faith and not fall victim to either apostasy or
heresy. While seven of these
letters are considered genuine, others have either been falsely attributed to
him or have had a few “editorial remarks” added by subsequent authors, and are considered spurious (the practice of pseudepigrapha is nothing new).
“It is scarcely possible to
exaggerate the importance of the testimony which the Ignatian letters offer to
the dogmatic character of Apostolic Christianity. The martyred Bishop of
Antioch constitutes a most important link between the Apostles and the Fathers
of the early Church. Receiving from the Apostles themselves, whose auditor he
was, not only the substance of revelation, but also their own inspired
interpretation of it; dwelling, as it were, at the very fountain-head of Gospel
truth, his testimony must necessarily carry with it the greatest weight and
demand the most serious consideration." The Catholic Encyclopedia (1910)
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The name ‘dandelion’ comes
from dent de lion or “lion’s tooth”, so called from the
shape of its leaves. Most people
today think of it as a weed and spend large amounts of money and chemicals to
eradicate it from their lawns, but our ancestors were very happy to see
dandelions blooming. As one of the
first plants of spring (and one that continues during the entire growing
season), dandelion leaves and roots provided fresh food for the table, and its
concentration of vitamins made it a sorely needed spring tonic.
(Remember that most people
ate what they could grow – and while some vegetables, such as carrots and
turnips, could be kept in ‘root cellars’ over winter, within a few months they
became tough and desiccated. Other
vegetables were preserved by being pickled or dried, but fresh vegetables would
not be available until May or June at the earliest. In the meantime, people sought out the ‘weeds’: dandelions,
sorrel, and poke, to name a few.)
In honor of Saint Ignatius,
who happily embraced his crown of martyrdom at the teeth of the Roman Lions,
make DANDELION WINE.
It is a tad early for
dandelions – but once made, it needs to sit for at least 5 months, so if you
make some this year, you will have it for Saint Ignatius’ day next year.
Boil 1 gallon of water. Place 1 gallon of dandelion flowers in
a 2-gallon crock and pour the boiling water over them. Cover and let the dandelions stand for
three days.
Juice 3 oranges and 1 lemon
(some people like to chop up the fruit and add it – juice, skin, seeds, and all
– to the liquid. It will be
strained out, in any case.)
Strain the dandelion liquid
through cheesecloth and squeeze all of the liquid from the flowers. Discard flowers. In a deep kettle, combine the dandelion
liquid, the orange and lemon juices (or the whole fruit), and 3 pounds of
sugar. Heat to simmer and simmer
for 20 minutes. Pour the liquid
back into the crock and cool until barely lukewarm.
Meanwhile, toast a piece of
rye bread, and sprinkle top of toast with ½ package of active dry yeast. When the liquid is barely lukewarm,
place the toast on top of the liquid, cover the crock with cheesecloth, and let
it stand for six days at room temperature (70° – 75°).
Strain the liquid into a
gallon jug, ‘cork’ it loosely with a wad of cotton, and place the jug in a dark
place (like a closet) for three weeks.
At the end of that time,
decant the wine into smaller bottles, cap or cork them tightly, and put them
away to mellow for five months.
Come next February 1st, you can enjoy a taste of “summer
sunshine”.
In case you can’t wait,
there are some places which sell it – like the Maple River Winery in North
Dakota. They even make Elderberry
Wine, my favorite tipple when watching “Arsenic and Old Lace”. (Unfortunately, they can’t ship to New
England (except renegade New Hampshire), but you are likely in or near one of
the other states to which they ship.)
Meanwhile, go make Barm Brack for Saint Bridget's day.
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Artwork:
“Saint Ignatius of Antioch”
from Pictorial Lives of the Saints,
John Gilmary Shea, (1889) p. 75
