A Christmas Hymn of St. Ephraim the Syrian — AD 306-373
A Christmas Hymn
The feast day of your birth resembles You, Lord
Because it brings joy to all humanity.
Old people and infants alike enjoy your day.
Your day is celebrated from generation to generation.
Kings and emperors may pass away,
And the festivals to commemorate them soon lapse.
But your festival will be remembered until the end of time.
Your day is a means and a pledge of peace.
At your birth heaven and earth were reconciled,
Since you came from heaven to earth on that day
You forgave our sins and wiped away our guilt.
You gave us so many gifts on the day of your birth:
A treasure chest of spiritual medicines for the sick;
Spiritual light for those that are blind;
The cup of salvation for the thirsty;
The bread of life for the hungry.
In the winter when trees are bare,
You give us the most succulent spiritual fruit.
In the frost when the earth is barren,
You bring new hope to our souls.
In December when seeds are hidden in the soil,
The staff of life springs forth from the virgin womb.
St. Ephraim the Syrian (AD 306-373)
Ephraim the Syrian’s Christmas Hymn is one of the earliest Christmas devotions, since the Church had only just begun to celebrate the festival.
Blessings to All,
Lady Sharon
Scribe of Camelot
[...] on the feast of an almost-forgotten goddess, and in the window of opportunity when we sing of the birth of another god, I’m reminded again that the world is not static, but that certain themes rise to the surface [...]