“Only you [Jesus] and your Mother
Ephrem the Syrian, Carmina Nisibena 27, 8; CSCO 219, 76.
are more beautiful than everything.
For on you, O Lord, there is no mark;
neither is there any stain in your Mother.”
“The eye becomes pure
Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on the Church 36, 1-2; CSCO 199, 87-88
when it is united with the Light of the sun,
and receives strength from its vigour
and clarity from its splendour;
it becomes radiant with its ardour
and adorned with its beauty…
In Mary, as in an eye,
the Light has made a dwelling and purified her spirit,
refined her thoughts sanctified her mind,
and transfigured her virginity.”
“Blessed are you, Bethlehem, who, fortified towns
Hymns on Nativity 16, 10; CSCO 187, 76; Ephrem the Syrian: Hymns, trans. Kathleen E. McVey, CWS (New york: Paulist Press, 1989), p.150.
and fortified cities envied.
Mary, like you, women envied –
and virgin daughter of powerful men.
Blessed is the girl He found worthy to indwell
and also the town He found worthy to inhabit.”
The Christian people struggles to work with Holy Spirit, so that they become a like virgin Mary a dwelling of the Spirit of God, sanctified by His Spirit.
If you are interested in more quotes on Virgin Mary, you can find them in Mary and the Fathers of the Church on Amazon in both in Kindle and paperback formats.
References:
Gambero, L., 1999. Mary and the Fathers of the Church 1st ed. Translated by Buffer, T., San Francisco: Ignatius Press. p.109
