September 30 2022 - St. Jerome - Living and Tender Love for Sacred Scripture

 

St. Jerome was born in the Balkans in 345. He was particularly adept at languages, mastering greek, latin, and Hebrew. His translation of the bible which came to be known as the Vulgate served for centuries as the official translation of the Church for liturgical use and church documents.

The Opening Prayer today refers to St. Jerome’s “living and tender love for Sacred Scripture”. Our love for the scriptures must be alive and active. A living devotion to scripture means we are pursuing it’s knowledge and wisdom daily. We are looking to it to help us in our trials, our dilemmas. It needs to guide the life of the Church, the life of a parish, the life of a family, the life of an individual in his struggle to overcome sin and develop virtue and holiness.

St. Augustine wrote in his Confessions the beautiful words, “Let your scriptures be my delight…O Lord, perfect me and reveal those pages to me! Your voice is my joy. Give me what I love…May the inner secrets of your words be laid open to me when I knock. This I beg by our Lord Jesus Christ in whom are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Love the scriptures, memorize them, as much as you can. Read difficult passages over and over until they become familiar. 

 The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The Church…specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful.  to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”

The scriptures are the undergirding of a just society. Where our nation has flourished has been because it has allowed the wisdom of the scriptures to guide its path, where our nation has suffered, has been because we have ignored its lessons, its warnings, its moral guidance.

There is often hesitation on the part of Catholics to be familiar with the Bible. Yet, for those who open its pages, the Scriptures are refreshing, they are consoling, they are instructive, and corrective, they are more valuable than gold.  We should read, and meditate on Scripture every day.  Having a “living and tender love for Scripture” leads us to a living and tender loving care for God and the willingness to follow his Holy Will.  

By studying the Scripture we come to know who we are, who we are meant to be, and so we must not be hesitant to learn How to read the bible, so that we may draw nearer to Christ. 

May St. Jerome’s heavenly intercession guide us in our living devotion and tender love of the Scriptures, that we may be equipped for the work of the Gospel and come to the eternal life promised within its pages, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may be equipped for every good work by the word of God, that through our love of the scriptures we may grow in wisdom and courage to share the good news.

For the success of our parish RCIA programs, that the uninitiated may seek God and answer his call to holiness. 

For our young people, that they may be raised in homes where the Word of God is studied, cherished, and practiced. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for victims of the terrible storms in Florida, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For the repose of the souls of our families, friends, and parish, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, and for N., for whom this mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

September 30 2020 - St. Jerome - Studying, Cherishing, and Practicing God's Word

Each year, we celebrate the feast of St. Jerome, the great doctor of the Church. Doctors of the Church are so-called because the word doctor comes from the latin word “docere” which means “to teach”, and the doctors of the Church have something important to teach all Christians, of all places, of all times.

St. Jerome, the great translator of the Hebrew and Greek bible into the latin Vulgate, teaches us that “ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ” And that is true for all Christians—Christians must know the scriptures so that they may know Christ as he wishes to be known.

“Blessed indeed is the man…whose delight is the law of the lord, who ponders it day and night”. The Christian recognizes, as the psalm says, that the scriptures are more valuable than gold or silver. 

Reading and pondering the scriptures is as important for our souls as food is for our bodies, for as the Lord himself said, we shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

The Scriptures deepen our understanding of the things of God, as Psalm 119 says, “the unfolding of God’s word gives light, it imparts wisdom and understanding to the simple.” The light of the scriptures helps to purify our minds from our worldly ways of thinking, it detaches us from loving the things of the world, and teaches us to value the love and wisdom of God. When we study the scriptures and ponder them and internalize them, we become like the wise head of the household extolled by the Lord in the Gospel, who “brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” We become like the blessed mother who “ponders in her heart” the words and actions of Jesus her Son. 

Paul gives us even more reasons to be versed in the Scriptures, as we heard in his letter to Timothy this morning, “Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” And it gives us hope in chaotic times, as Paul says, what is written is written for our encouragement…that we might have encouragement through the Scriptures (Romans 15:4).” So in chaotic times, we need more scripture study, not less.

Often, too,  we are afraid of sharing our faith and teaching our faith to the ignorant, but Paul says, if you read and study the scriptures you will be equipped for these things.

But most importantly, as St. Jerome would say, knowledge of scripture gives us knowledge of Jesus himself. We become accustomed to the way he thinks, to the divine logic, to his humility, and his love for humanity. Through the Scriptures we get a glimpse of his heart, and hear his heart speaking to ours.

Daily, the scriptures need to be held in our hands, uttered by our lips, and pondered in our hearts. May May we cherish God’s word today and all days, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may be equipped for every good work by the word of God, that through our love of the scriptures we may grow in wisdom and courage to share the good news.

For the success of our parish RCIA programs, that the uninitiated may seek God and answer his call to holiness. 

For our young people, that they may be raised in homes where the Word of God is studied, cherished, and practiced. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For the repose of the souls of our families, friends, and parish, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, and for N., for whom this mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

September 30 2019 - St. Jerome - Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ

It was only in 1298 that the Church began to declare certain saints as doctors of the Church. As of today there are 36 doctors. Well, St. Jerome is among the original four along with St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, and St. Gregory the Great. The word “doctor” comes from the Latin word “docere”, which means to teach or instruct. The Church sees these great doctors of the Church as the greatest teachers and instructors of the faith.

St. Augustine, in fact, spoke about St. Jerome, saying: What Jerome is ignorant of, no mortal has ever known.” Jerome’s knowledge and work with the Scriptures has left an indelible mark upon the Church. For he is the author of the Vulgate, the official Latin translation of the Scriptures which were utilized for liturgical use and church documents for nearly two millennia.

St. Jerome is quoted in the current Catechism of the Catholic Church which states “The Church…specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”

There is often hesitation on the part of Catholics to be familiar with the Bible. For the Bible is not easy to understand. To understand the whole we must understand its parts, and to understand its parts we need to understand the whole. But for those who open its pages, the Scriptures are refreshing; they are consoling, instructive, and corrective, they are more valuable than gold.  We should read and meditate on Scripture every day.  Like Jerome, we should seek a “living and tender love for Scripture” that we ma have a living and tender loving care for God and the willingness to follow his Holy Will. 

On this memorial of St. Jerome, we hear of St. Paul’s injunction to Timothy to learn and believe what is in the scriptures for they are capable of giving “wisdom for salvation.” In a world full of so much chaos and error, we need the wisdom of the scriptures to help order or life. Biblical illiteracy serves no one.

When we study the scriptures and internalize them, we become like the wise head of the household extolled by the Lord in the Gospel, who “brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” “All Scripture is inspired by God” both the new and the old. So by them may the Lord continue to equip us for the work of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all members of the Church will find constant nourishment and strength from the Holy Scriptures.

That we may always read and interpret the scriptures according to the “living Tradition of the whole Church” and not according to the errors of the world.

That the uninitiated who seek God may answer the call to Christian conversion and for the success of our parish RCIA programs.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests, deacons and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.