Today is the Memorial of St. Irenaeus

St. Irenaeus
"The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of God came down upon the Lord, and the Lord in turn gave this Spirit to his Church, sending the Advocate from heaven into all the world…” These are the words of Saint Irenaeus in, ‘The sending of the Holy Spirit,’ on his treatise Against Heresies. This working of the Holy Spirit which he held very dear to him.


 Saint Irenaeus was an early Church Father of the 2nd century A.D. He was mentored by Saint Polycarp, himself a disciple of Saint John the Evangelist. Saint Irenaeus became Bishop of Lyons and fulfilled his calling as a prolific writer. Most notably, he defended the faith against the intellectual imperialism of the Gnostics; refuting their claims by defining truth as available to all. He said truth is public, unifying, and pneumatic (permeating). Additionally, Saint Irenaeus helped identify the canon of scripture and the creed.
 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

First Professions for Irish Dominican friars Simple vows