Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 9, 2020
Jesus said to his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Today is the Feast day of Saint Ephrem, a teacher, poet, and defender of faith. He worked to oppose false doctrines and defended the Church with all he believed in. Much of his work dove into the spiritual essence of humanity and the humanity of Jesus.
In this gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that they are the “light of the world”. I am an elementary school teacher and spent eight years in Catholic School education. Like Saint Ephrem, I have the capability to shape children’s minds and share my faith with them. I enjoyed teaching religion and our discussions. A teacher is like a lit candle. I can share my flame, my knowledge of Jesus and his teachings with my students, and when they leave me their candles are also lit. Jesus says to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works”. In light of recent global and national events the need for more light has never been so important. So many are suffering in darkness, isolation, and fear, but if we share the light of Jesus and his love we can help to bring about a change.
Saint Ephrem often spoke to the humanity of Jesus and we are made in God’s image. Jesus lives within us. He suffered at the hands of others, but that did not deter him from doing what was right and holding true to his beliefs. He fought against injustice and put the love and care of others only second to his love for God. Let us walk on the path of Jesus, loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, fighting for what’s right, and defending our faith. By doing so we “Let our light shine” and help to make our world a little brighter.
Prayer
Almighty and ever living God, your people long to taste and see the goodness of your love. Bless our hands and our wits that we might become your beacon of hope in a darkened world. Make our voice your own that your children may savor the presence of your promise and peace revealed in Jesus who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
We can thank St. Ephrem for the hymns we sing at Mass—he introduced the idea of sacred hymnody to the liturgy in the fourth century.
Ephrem was born in 306 in a town in modern-day Turkey. His parents were not Christian, and when Ephrem found the faith and converted with his baptism at the age of 18, they turned him out of the house. He joined the ministry of the local bishop by leading a school and following him as an aide to the Council of Nicea in 325.
When his hometown was occupied by the Persians, Ephrem went to Edessa of ancient Syria, where he lived in a cave as an ascetic. He was not a hermit, however—he regularly interacted with the people of the city, and even preached regularly there.
He was ordained a deacon and worked to cultivate the Christian community in Edessa. He saw that false teachings were growing in popularity, especially through well-known songs that adapted false doctrines to easy-to-sing tunes.
He decided to use the same trick, and composed orthodox songs to replace them in people’s imaginations. He formed a women’s choir, and had them lead song in the city’s liturgies, which stopped the influence of the heresies. The practice of sacred song in liturgy can be traced to Ephrem’s strategy—liturgical hymns spread throughout the eastern Church and then to the west.
Ephrem wrote volumes of theological works in the forms of hymns, letters, tracts, arguments, and commentaries—almost all in metrical verse. His words were directed at ordinary people and assisted in their development of faith, and were immensely popular and passed on long after his death. Many communities during his age read his works after the Scriptures at Mass.
For his work in teaching the faith through his preaching and writing, the Church honors him as one of her doctors—a title given to 37 saints who illuminate the faith with their words or example. Ephrem is one of the most beloved saints of the eastern Church—they call him the Harp of the Holy Spirit.
The last great work of his life was to relieve the city of Edessa during a famine in the winter of 372-373. The wealthy refused give from their money or grain reserves because they did not trust anyone to distribute them fairly. Ephrem volunteered, and successfully distributed the resources to all who needed help, and even organized a special relief effort to assist the sick. He retired to his cave after that effort and within a month, he died—possibly from illness he contracted from helping the sick.
St. Ephrem, you introduced sacred hymns to the liturgy to fight heresy—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Ephrem is in the public domain. Last accessed March 18, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
