“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?...... You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5: 13 - 14).
Tuesday 9th June 2020, 10th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Ephrem the Syrian (306 - 373) Deacon and Doctor of the Church. There is so much to write about the accomplishments of Ephrem the Syrian. I will pick a few:
Ephrem had a keen intellect. His pen was like a sharp sword. Part of his genius is that he used poems and hymns to combat the heresies of his time. He expounded the mysteries of Christ and the Glorious Virgin Mary. Ephrem had a great devotion to Mary and was not shy about it.
In our core Scripture for today, Jesus said to His disciples: You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
What is salt? What is uncorrupted salt? Salt is doctrine. The core and unbending truth which the Church offers to the world, season and out of season; welcomed or not. This salt of the earth is found in the Creed of the Church which was fleshed out at the Council of Nicaea during the life time of St Ephrem the Syrian. It has not changed one iota.
What does Jesus our Teacher mean when He says that we are the light of the world? Jesus Christ Himself is the Light of the nations. The light of Jesus shines through missionary evangelization. We saw how this works in the lives of saints we celebrated recently. Pope St Gregory the Great sent [missio] St Augustine of Canterbury to evangelize England. Mission accomplished. Pope St Gregory II sent St Boniface from England to evangelize Germany. And so forth and so on.
Who is Jesus sending you to? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Mission. Let us ask God the Father to send the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth and missionary spirit in the Church.
Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com
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