St. Polycarp, Bishop, Martyr (26 January) ~ Dom Prosper Guéranger

About this sermon

Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (†155 AD), bishop, martyr, and disciple of Saint John the Apostle, stands among the greatest saints of the Apostolic Age. Celebrated on January 26, his life bears witness to unwavering fidelity to Christ — even unto death. In this powerful reading, we hear the story of Saint Polycarp’s heroic confession before the Roman proconsul, when he proclaimed: “Eighty-six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” Ordained bishop of Smyrna by Saint John himself, Polycarp courageously defended the truth of the Incarnation, opposing heresies that denied Christ come in the flesh. His famous Epistle to the Philippians remains a foundational text of early Christian theology. Burned alive in the amphitheater during the persecution under Marcus Aurelius, Saint Polycarp fulfilled the words spoken to him in the Apocalypse: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10) This video also includes excerpts from: Saint Jerome’s On Ecclesiastical Writers Ancient accounts of Polycarp’s martyrdom Hymns from the Greek Church Patristic reflections on martyrdom, fidelity, and unity with Rome May Saint Polycarp’s prayers strengthen us to remain faithful in an age of confusion and false teaching. 🙏 Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, pray for us. 00:00 Introduction – Saint Polycarp, Bishop & Martyr 00:23 Disciple of Saint John the Beloved 00:43 “Eighty-Six Years Have I Served Him” 01:13 Defender of the Incarnation 01:38 Epistle to the Philippians 02:12 “Be Thou Faithful Unto Death” 02:42 Testimony of Saint Jerome 03:18 Journey to Rome & Easter Controversy 03:49 Condemnation & Martyrdom by Fire 04:03 Hymns of the Greek Church 04:36 The True Vine & the Winepress of Martyrdom 05:13 Purified by Fire, Rewarded with Light 05:53 Spiritual Sacrifice & Victim of Christ 06:20 Fruits of a Holy Life 06:59 Reunion with Saint John in Heaven 07:30 Prayers for the Church & Unity 08:15 Warning Against False Teachers 08:53 Defense of Apostolic Authority 09:12 Final Prayer – Crown of Life https://sensusfidelium.com/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/january/january-26-st-polycarp-bishop-martyr/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #SaintPolycarp #SaintOfTheDay #CatholicSaints #ChurchFathers #EarlyChurch #Martyrdom #TraditionalCatholic #ApostolicFathers #ChristianHistory #FaithfulUntoDeath #CrownOfLife

Topics

• Suffering & Trials