Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 9, 2025
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Now since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately Blood and water flowed out.
A few weeks ago, my friends and I posed a hypothetical question: has a Mass been said every day since Holy Thursday? I once heard a priest say that although the church has failed to live up to its name many times over the centuries, one thing it has always been faithful to is the Mass. The apostles heard Jesus say, “Do this in memory of me,” and they did.
There are multiple Masses said on Notre Dame’s campus every day, let alone counting in the whole rest of the world. Somewhere on Earth, a Mass is said at every hour of the day!
I imagine that the first Mass said after Holy Thursday was said in a small house, probably somewhere near Jerusalem, late on Good Friday. We read that Jesus gave Mary to John and gave John to Mary, and that he took her into his home. How else would the beloved mother of God and the apostle whom Jesus loved mourn his death but by following his command: “Do this in memory of me”?
As we gather for Mass, we celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, uniting our sorrows with those of Mary and John, who were also unsure of the future, and we pray together that his kingdom may come not only for us but for the whole world.
Prayer
God, grant us the patience to live as Our Lady of Sorrows did, a perfect model of hope at the foot of the cross. Thank you for providing us with such a profound example of love and acceptance of your will. We don’t have to bear our daily crosses alone, for you have given us your son, Jesus Christ, and his mother, Mary, to help us find our way. Please bless the Congregation of Holy Cross and all of its lay collaborators, benefactors, and friends as we celebrate our patroness today.
Saint of the Day
We can thank St. Ephrem for the hymns we sing at Mass, as 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 to 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.
