Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
Ansanus (304)
The Baptiser
Ansanus was born in Rome and decided to follow Christ at the age of
12. As a young man he was accused as a Christian to the Roman authorities by his own father, but for some time he managed to evade capture.
Ansanus became known by the title “the baptiser” because of his successful missionary activities in the Italian cities of Siena and Bagnorea.
During the persecution under Emperor Diocletian, Ansanus was eventually arrested and he was beheaded in 304 along with many other Christians. A church was later built upon the site of his execution.
Our Father in heaven, who spoke to Jeremiah, “Do not call yourself a child for you shall go to whatever people I send you,” you have raised up many young witnesses to your name. We thank you for the courage of new generations of Christians and for the maturity of a young church. Grant that their zeal may warm the lukewarmness of our older Christianity and that we may all discern the power of the gospel to serve every generation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayers for Today’s World (no. 101)