The Cross of Christ gives life to the human race

  You will notice changes have been made to the introduction of my daily recording. The format is more concise and intended to help you better understand the meaning of the material being presented. I pray you find these upgrades helpful. On Friday of the Third Week of Easter our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of Revelation (10:1-11) entitled "The call of the seer is renewed". Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Ephrem, deacon. Saint Ephrem was born in the city of Nisibis in approximately 306. After Saint Ephrem received baptism he began to consider the salvation of his soul more seriously. He embraced an ascetic lifestyle under the direction of an elder, who gave him permission to live as a hermit. Around 338 A.D. Saint Ephrem left his solitude and moved to Edessa in present-day Turkey. He was ordained a deacon and became a voluminous author.  He was known for sermons which combined articulate expressions of Catholic orthodoxy with urgent and fruitful calls to repentance. His primary contribution to the teachings of the Catholic Church was his unique and powerful way of expressing theology through poetry and hymnody, making the mysteries of the faith both deeply understandable and spiritually transformative. Rather than writing in abstract, technical language, Ephrem taught through rich biblical imagery, symbolism, and song, helping the faithful grasp profound truths about Christ, the Incarnation, and salvation. In today's first reading from the book of Revelation (10:1–11) we are taught that God's word is both sweet and demanding: it brings truth, hope, and salvation, yet also calls for sacrifice and perseverance in proclaiming it. When John eats the scroll, sweet in his mouth but bitter in his stomach, it shows that receiving God's message is a joy, but living it and sharing it can involve hardship. For Catholics, the passage is a call to accept God's word fully and to courageously witness to it, even when it is difficult or costly.