"When He began to cry / she got up and gave Him milk; / she embraced Him as she sang to Him, / swaying her knees until He became still."

Born in the year 306, Ephrem lived in Nisibis (in modern-day Turkey), at what was then the border between the Roman and Persian empires. Ephrem was a deacon and a prolific writer. To this day, he remains among the most notable hymnographers in Eastern Christianity. He has been called "the lyre of the Holy Spirit", and in 1920 he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XV.

St. Ephrem is best remembered for his hymns on Christmas and Epiphany, including this Marian hymn on the Nativity.

Links

Ep. 28—Ephrem, Symbolist—Way of the Fathers with Mike Aquilina: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/27ephrem-symbolist/

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.