Each of us is faced with trials and setbacks. Though we do not control the hand we are dealt, we can determine how we play our cards. St. Ephram the Syrian, uneducated and living on the wrong side of the current events of his day, found a voice that inspired the people of his time and those of the millenniums that followed. He is an example of our ability to rise above our circumstance with our thoughts and words.
St. Ephram was subjected to the same type of mass relocation that many Christians in the Middle East are facing today. In the year 363, his lifetime home of Nisibis fell to the Persians forcing Ephram to Edessa (in present day Iraq) where he lived in a cave in monastic seclusion and experienced the most fruitful and productive years of his life.
St. Ephram became known as “the Harp of the Holy Ghost” and composed a prolific number of poems and religious hymns as a pioneer in the use of these forms for theological expression. He applied his verse to music in his efforts to combat some of the heresies of the day and address mysteries like the Immaculate Conception of Mary and the Incarnation. His descriptions of death, the Last Judgement, heaven, and hell later influenced Dante and his work. Some of his prayers and hymns are recited and sung regularly to this day. Read More
