Feast Day of St Ephraim the Syrian
Categories: uncategorized
Date: 27 January 2005 12:20:54
 | By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, And your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe. O our holy father Ephraim, pray to Christ our God to save our souls! Troparion O holy father Ephraim, Kontakion |
Tomorrow [Jan 28] is the Feast Day of St Ephraim the Syrian, a writer of the many prayers and hymns. One of his prayers is recommended for daily recitation during Lent:
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk. Instead, give to me, Your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. Yes, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brother, for You are blessed from all ages to all ages. Amen.
I am reading St Ephraim's Hymns on Paradise, which overflow with beautiful imagery about the delights of returning to Paradise upon our death, as well as being soaked through with theology and Biblical references. A small sample:
They know no worry,
for they have no suffering;
they have no fear,
for no snare awaits them;
they have no adversary,
for they have passed through the contest.
They count themselves
blessed
unendingly,
for their warfare is over;
they have taken up their crowns
and found rest in their new abode.
Hymn VII, Stanza 23Make me worthy through your grace
to attain to Paradise's gift
-- this treasure of perfumes,
this storehouse of scents.
My hunger takes delight
in the breath of its fragrance,
for its scent gives nourishment to all
at all times,
and whomever inhales it
is overjoyed and forgets his earthly bread;
this is the table of the Kingdom --
blessed is He who prepared it in Eden.
Hymn XI, Stanza 15