Thursday, January 27 : Saint Ephrem

“He made clay with his saliva, and smeared the clay on the blind man’s eyes.” And light sprang out of the earth as in the beginning… when darkness covered everything and he commanded the light and it came to be out of darkness (Gn 1,2-3). Thus he healed a handicap present from birth to show that he, whose hand accomplished what was lacking to nature, was truly the one whose hand had formed creation in the beginning. And as they refused to believe that he had existed before Abraham (Jn 8,57), he proved by this deed that he was the Son of him who, with his own hand, “formed the first Adam out of clay” (Gn 2,7). IHe did this for the sake of those who needed miracles if they were to believe: “The Jews look for miracles” (1Cor 1,22). It was not the pool of Siloam that opened the blind man’s eyes, just as it was not the water of the Jordan that cleansed Naaman (2Kgs 5,14): it was the Lord’s command that did it all. Further: it is not the water used in baptism but the name of the Trinity spoken over it that purifies us. “He smeared the clay on his eyes” that the Pharisees might clean away the blindness of their hearts… Those who could see this material light were guided by a blind man who saw the light of the spirit and, in his darkness, the blind man was guided by those who saw outwardly but who were spiritually blind. The blind man washed the clay from his eyes and was himself seen; the others washed the blindness from their hearts and were themselves tested. And so, by outwardly opening a blind man’s eyes our Lord interiorly opened the eyes of many other blind people… Wonderful treasures are hidden in these few words of our Lord, and in this healing is traced a symbol: Jesus, the son of the Creator.

maronite readings – rosary,team