I saw this quote from St. Ephrem.
I really liked it so I wanted to know more about him.
St. Ephrem was born in Mesopotamia in the 4th Century. He was a teacher and a deacon and wrote hymns to counteract the heresies of the times.
I looked at one of my favorite sites for Saint facts: learn more about St. Ephrem: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3 . Here are some excerpts from the article on St. Ephrem.
“Ephrem (or Eprhaim) the Syrian left us hundreds of hymns and poems on the faith that inflamed and inspired the whole Church, but few facts about his own inspiring life.
According to tradition, Ephrem began to write hymns in order to counteract the heresies that were rampant at that time. For those who think of hymns simply as the song at the end of Mass that keeps us from leaving the church early, it may come as a surprise that Ephrem and others recognized and developed the power of music to get their points across. Tradition tells us that Ephrem heard the heretical ideas put into song first and in order to counteract them made up his own hymns.
The originality, imagery, and skill of his hymns captured the hearts of the Christians so well, that Ephrem is given credit for awakening the Church to the important of music and poetry in spreading and fortifying the faith.
In His Footsteps:
Has a song ever moved you so much that it changed or challenged your faith or lifestyle -- for good or bad? How do you feel about the music you sing during liturgy? Put your whole heart and soul into the hymns you sing next. Listen to the words and let them speak to you.
Prayer:
Saint Ephrem, sometimes we treat the power of song lightly. Help us to open our hearts and souls to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit given us through music. Amen”
