Daily Gospel Reflection

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June 9, 2023

Friday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Mk 12:35-37
Listen to the Audio Version

As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said,
“How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David?
David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said:

The Lord said to my lord,
‘Sit at my right hand
until I place your enemies under your feet.’

David himself calls him ‘lord’;
so how is he his son?”
The great crowd heard this with delight.

Reflection

John Donnelly ’03
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I’ve struggled some of late to pray. A good friend—a fellow teacher and administrator at the school I’m fortunate to work at—died a couple of months ago. I have not been able to think of much else when I try to quiet my mind. He loved his wife and five young children a great deal, and I keep thinking about them as I attempt to pray.

Death is a significant part of our lives and spiritual experiences, and I am grateful for the chance to reflect on this gospel in light of it. I keep thinking about the great crowd hearing Jesus with delight. In this time of sadness over my friend, I find myself still thinking of delight, happiness, and joy.

Often my initial response to loss is sadness, but many times what follows is a tremendous sense of gratitude and joy to have even experienced that which caused grief. I’m grieving the death of my friend, but I am even more grateful to have known him.

It reminds me of a group of seniors at our school. Most of my day is freshman Spanish, but I also have a senior film class. They are one of the most fun groups I’ve ever taught. I barely have to say anything after we watch Shawshank Redemption, It’s a Wonderful Life, or Hoop Dreams and they are off and running with our discussion.

Hearing this group each day fills me with delight. Would I ever give this up to prevent any future heartache or sadness at its loss? I don’t think I would.

May each encounter we share with others in faith, hope, and love bring us ever to pure delight.

Prayer

Rev. Herbert Yost, C.S.C.

Dear Lord, as we go about our homes and work, let us bring your presence with us. Let us speak your peace, your grace, your mercy, and your perfect order to all we meet. Give us a fresh supply of strength to do our work. May even our smallest accomplishments bring you glory. When we are confused, guide us. When we are burned out, infuse us with the light of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Saint of the Day

St. Ephrem

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.

His image (top) is used with permission from Catholic.org.

St. Ephrem, you introduced sacred hymns to the liturgy to fight heresy—pray for us!