Since our citizenship is in heaven, we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will conform our lowly bodies to his glorified body. St. Ignatius of Antioch whose memory the Church honors today is among the earliest followers of the apostles. He was appointed Bishop of Antioch by St. Peter himself to be his successor (hence the title Apostolic Father). He was the first to use the term  Catholic Church as a collective designation for Christians. He suffered martyrdom in Rome under the persecution of Trajan. 
It is reported that Ignatius demonstrated sublime courage as he was being led to Rome from Antioch. The knowledge of what was awaiting him in Rome did not cow him, for we are told that he continued with his pastoral responsibilities even as a prisoner, writing letters to Churches and exhorting fellow Christians whom he encountered along the way. The courage of St. Ignatius, as well as of the early Church martyrs, can be attributed to the zeal with which they looked forward to life in heaven. They were not afraid of enduring the pain to which their bodies were subjected because they looked forward to the glorified bodies that were awaiting them in heaven. 
In the First reading, St. Paul is urging the Philippian Church to imitate how he was living a Christ-centered life. For unlike others who were rejecting the Cross, Paul was not shy about undergoing suffering because he believed in the resurrection. In any case, the citizenship of believers is in heaven. St. Ignatius might have used similar words as these to exhort members of the faith who might have cowed under the weight of fierce persecution. He might have used words similar to these to embolden his brothers and sisters who were walking in the same path as he was. For like Paul he too was convinced that better things awaited him in heaven.