Our Venerable Father Ephrem the Syrian (373).
2 Timothy 2:11-19; Luke 18:2-8.
Read 2 Timothy 2:11-1
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
What is St. Paul talking about when he talks about our death with Christ at the beginning of our reading today? This death has three important and interconnected meanings.
Firstly, we die to our old lives through our baptism. The word baptizo in Greek means “I drown or submerge.” The baptismal font is a tomb and a womb- death to the old self and life to the new self In Christ.
Secondly, The Christian life is a constant struggle against our sinful and selfish inclinations (Rom 8:13). In this struggle we can remember Catherine Doherty’s famous saying: “I am Third.” God is first, my neighbor is second and I am third.
Finally, death itself, after Christ’s life-saving mission, is an entrance into life. Our death in this life is a rebirth into the next life, where we hope to be with God forever!