FEAST OF THE DAY
St Ephrem of Syria was born of a Christian family at Nisibis, in Syria,
around the year 306. He was ordained a deacon and provided
service throughout the country and in Edessa.
During his lifetime, St. Ephrem founded a theological school in
Nisibis and published many works. His published materiel spanned
from biblical commentaries to homilies and hymns. Many of his
hymns were well known throughout the country. To create his hymns
St. Ephrem took popular tunes and added lyrics telling Christian
teachings. Ephrem was one of the first to introduce song into the
Church's public worship as a means of instruction for the faithful.
Throughout his life St. Ephrem tirelessly preached and wrote in order
to combat errors of the time. He especially worked against the
Gnostic and Arian heresies by converting those who had accepted
them and by educating people about the errors held by these
heresies. St. Ephrem was proclaimed a doctor of the Church in 1920
and is often called "Deacon of Edessa" or "Harp of the Holy Spirit."
His writings also touch upon the subjects of the Eucharist and Mary.
St. Ephrem is the only doctor of the church from Syria. He died in
373.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Lay me not with sweet spices,
For this honor avails me not,
Nor yet use incense and perfumes,
For the honor befits me not.
Burn yet the incense in the holy place;
As for me, escort me only with your prayers,
Give your incense to God,
And over me send up hymns.
Instead of perfumes and spices,
Be mindful of me in you intercessions. -St. Ephrem
TODAY IN HISTORY
1784 John Carroll appointed supervisor of US Catholic Missions
TODAY'S TIDBIT
In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is represented in several ways. At the
Baptism of Jesus, he is represented in the form of a dove. At
Pentecost, he is represented by the tongues of fire. The Holy Spirit is
also commonly represented by wind, and water, symbols also
present in the biblical passages mentioned above.
INTENTION FOR THE DAY
Please pray for all men ordained to the permanent deaconate.
Deacon of Edessa bump!
We could sure have some fun with this today.
Think Sting would let us use a couple of his melodies?
Comment:
Many Catholics still find singing in church a problem, probably because of the rather individualistic piety that they inherited. Yet singing has been a tradition of both the Old and the New Testament. It is an excellent way of expressing and creating a community spirit of unity as well as joy. Ephrem's hymns, an ancient historian testifies, "lent luster to the Christian assemblies." We need some modern Ephrems—and cooperating singers—to do the same for our Christian assemblies today.
AmericanCatholic.org