St. Irenaeus of Lyons

On the life, writings and spirituality of St. Irenaeus of Lyons, bishop and martyr

St. Irenaeus of Lyons, c. 130-202 A.D.: considered the 1st great theologian of the Church

Biographical sketch

The name of Irenaeus means in Greek "peace lover" or "peacemaker". He was born probably in Asia Minor about the year 130 A.D. He became a priest in early adulthood in the year 177 A.D. at Lyons in France and afterwards was made bishop of that city. Known as a disciple of St. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, he was sent to work under Pothinus, the bishop of Lyons, to evangelize the Gauls. It was at this time that Montanus spread erroneous interpretations of Sacred Scripture. Pothinus thus sent Irenaeus to Rome to plead with the Pope for leniency to Montanus and followers. But persecutions of Christians had begun in Gaul. During the absence of St. Irenaeus, Pothinus and others were martyred, and when Irenaeus returned, it was to replace Pothinus as bishop.

St. Irenaeus of Lyons proved himself an excellent pastor, and he was indeed true to his name because he served as moderator of many disputes. In 190 A.D., he restored peace between Pope Victor III and the Christians in Asia Minor, who were excommunicated for observing Easter on the date of Jewish Passover.

St. Irenaeus defended the Catholic faith in his books and soon died a martyr in 202 A.D. during the persecution of Christians under Septimus Severus.

Teaching and spirituality

St. Irenaeus wrote to defend the Catholic faith against the errors of the Gnostics, particularly Valentinian Gnosticism. Valentinian Gnosticism was a popular 2nd century movement which sees God as unknowable and totally remote from matter. However, St. Irenaeus rejects the Gnostic claim that this unknowable God is hostile to the material world. He defended the Catholic faith from this wrong teaching by showing that God is like a loving parent from whom all humanity receives the breath of life. St. Irenaeus teaches that although God may be transcendent and unknowable, God is also immanent - He can be known in love. His basic principle: God cannot be comprehended according to greatness, but only according to love. And according to St. Irenaeus, God's glory is the human person fully alive. The glory of God's divine presence can thus be seen in the dynamism of our human life.

Books and writings

St. Irenaeus wrote the books, "Against Heresies" and "The Proof of the Apostolic Preaching"


Listed below are excerpts from his writings. We can learn about the teaching of St. Irenaeus through what he wrote to defend the Catholic faith.


God shaped the first human; it was God - and no lesser being - who breathed the breath of life into the face of that first human being and imprinted the divine image in its very flesh (Against Heresies 5,6,1)

The glory of God is the living human person, and the life of the human person is the vision of God (Against Heresies 4,20,7)


The joining of the flesh made in the image of God and the soul forms the whole person made into the likeness by the Spirit (Against Heresies 5,6,1)

St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer

St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer was born on January 9, 1902 A.D., in Barbastro, Spain. By divine inspiration, he founded Opus Dei. This prelature has grown to more than 50,000 members and has spread to five continents. The spirit that led Opus Dei is a spirit of holy involvement in the world: one in which all peoples of various walks of life can contribute to the sanctification of the world. For more detailed information about St. Josemaria Escriva and Opus Dei, you may visit:

• www.escrivaworks.org

"The Forge"

This is a book written by St. Josemaria Escriva that has the same writing style and manner as "The Way" and "Furrow". Inspiring and encouraging, the book is divided into short paragraphs of about three to six sentences each - marked and identified by numbers in bold typeface. At the back, there is an index for reference to search for specific subjects of interest.

Titles in the book

To get an idea what St. Josemaria Escriva writes about in "The Forge", the following are titles of chapters in the book:

• Dazzled
• Struggle
• Defeat
• Pessimism
• You can!
• To fight once more
• Recovery
• Victory
• Work
• Crucible
• Selection
• Fruitfulness
• Eternity

"Loyalty to the Church"

This work by St. Josemaria Escriva is a booklet that contains homilies written by him from another writing: "In God's Household". He speaks in this booklet with great love for the Catholic Church and calls her "Mother" in his writing. He develops well why the Church as "Mother" is a mystery: how She is the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church. Knowing that She is assailed by many in the world, he defends the Church well by his teachings. Below is an excerpt about the Church being attacked by many in the world and how he goes to Her side in defense:

"If by chance you hear words or shouts of offense to the Church, show these loveless individuals, with humanity and with charity, that one cannot mistreat a Mother in that way. They attack her now with impunity, because her kingdom, which is that of her Master and Founder, is not of this world."

Memorial of Saints (June 26)

St. Vigilius was educated at Athens. He returned to his birthplace in Trent, Italy, were he was named bishop in 385 A.D. As leader of his diocese, he stopped usury, helped the poor, and converted many to the faith. His work received great success that almost everyone in his diocese was Christian before his death. St. Vigilius died a martyr for the faith because he ordered a statue of a pagan god thrown into the Sarka River - which angered those who believed in it (died ca. 405 A.D.).

St. Josemaria Escriva was ordained in 1925 A.D. He worked in a rural parish at first until he felt the call to found the Opus Dei on October 2, 1928 A.D. When religious persecutions were prevalent in Spain, Josemaria left, and returned only after the Civil War ended. Back in Madrid, he worked for the growth of Opus Dei in Spain. Opus Dei emerged as a strong force in many parts of the world. This prelature followed the spirit of service to the Church exemplified by their founder, St. Josemaria Escriva (died October 6, 2002 A.D.).

Sts. John and Paul were Roman martyrs of the 4th century A.D. Tradition preserves the popularity of their story. John and Paul were brothers and both soldiers of the Emperor Constantine. They continued their military service until the death of the Emperor. Emperor Constantine's successor was not sympathetic to the Christian faith of the two brothers. He had both brothers executed when they refused to renounce their faith in Christ. Their bodies were buried in the Celian Hill (died ca. 410 A.D.).

St. Maxentius became a monk, and soon left the abbey he worked and lived, to escape the praise of his companion monks. Despite his resistance to this temptation, he was acclaimed a miracle worker when his return coincided with the end of a long drought. He then decided to join another monastic community where he became known for his austerities and holiness. Elected abbot of this community in ca. 500 A.D., St. Maxentius worked well for the good of his community. After resigning from his post as abbot, he lived as a hermit near his community's monastery (died ca. 515 A.D.).

St. Salvius was a bishop who went to Valenciennes, France, in ca. 768 A.D. Salvius received success from his work of evangelization in that area of France. Together with a companion called Superius, they both were killed by a son of an official of Valenciennes (died ca. 768 A.D.).

St. John of the Goths was elected bishop of the Goths in 761 A.D. John upheld the Church practice of veneration of relics and sacred images. He also attended the General Council of Nicaea in 787 A.D. This Council defined Catholic doctrine on the veneration of saints and relics. On his return from the Council, he was captured by Khazar invaders. However, he was able to escape and find refuge in Amastria in Asia Minor, where he spent the last years of his life (died ca. 800 A.D.).

St. Pelagius was a hostage of the Moors when he was 10 years old at Cordova, Spain. After three years, Abd-ar-Rahman III offered Pelagius his freedom, if he would renounce his Christian faith, and become an adherent of Islam. When St. Pelagius refused to accept the offer, he was tortured to death (died ca. 925 A.D.).

St. Anthelm at first was a secular priest but then decided to be a Carthusian in ca. 1137 A.D. He became the 7th abbot of the Carthusian Order in 1139 A.D. and worked to rebuild the Order's physical facilities. He also delegated the drawing up of a Carthusian Rule for women to Blessed John the Spaniard. Resigning his abbacy in 1152 A.D., he lived as a hermit. He wanted to continue in his solitude, but despite objections to his being named bishop of Belley, he reluctantly acceded to this need in 1163 A.D. After actively involving himself in the politics of his time, he spent his last years working with lepers and the poor (died ca. 1178 A.D.).