Today is the memorial of St. Ephrem, who was a deacon and a doctor of the Church. He was born near Nisibi around the year 306 into a Christian family. He was ordained a deacon and exercised his office in his native land and in the church of Edessa, where he founded a theological school. Even though he dedicated himself to asceticism, he did not neglect the ministry of preaching and publishing books that corrected the errors of his time. He died in 373.
Anytime we have a chance to celebrate the life of a deacon, I leap at the opportunity. Too bad today’s memorial is an optional feast in the Church! It must have been exciting for Ephrem to have lived during a time when Christianity went from an outlawed religious movement to a publicly sanctioned faith. I wonder if he was concerned about that change, or perhaps had a different vision initially of how the Church was to develop. One of those questions I will be able to ask when, I hope, I enter heaven and am able to ask him directly.
