Saint Jerome - September 30

Saint Jerome 

September 30 

Doctor of the Church

Patron of Librarians

"Ignorance of the Scriptures

 is ignorance of Christ." Saint Jerome

The life of Saint Jerome is evidence that God writes straight with crooked lines, making virtues out of vice.  Saint Jerome who was known for his difficult personality, one might say he was a curmudgeon, was also greatly beset by sexual temptation.  In fact, if it wasn't for Saint Jerome’s vices, we might not have the Vulgate.  For in order to distract his mind from sexual thoughts, Saint Jerome took up the arduous study of Hebrew and Greek grammar and vocabulary.

It was because of his exceptional knowledge of Hebrew and Greek that Pope Damasus appointed Saint Jerome to create a reliable standard Latin text of the Bible.  Up to that time many translations had been produced, but because of the multiplicity of translations they contained variations and errors. Saint Jerome’s Latin translation of both the Old and New Testament took him about 20 years (384 – 406A.D)

In his GeneralAudience November 7, 2007, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI reminded us that the secret for fighting against our weaknesses, vices and temptations is to focus our attention on Jesus, especially the Word of God present in the Bible. 

Here is what he said,  “What can we learn from St Jerome? It seems to me, this above all; to love the Word of God in Sacred Scripture. St Jerome said: "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ". It is therefore important that every Christian live in contact and in personal dialogue with the Word of God given to us in Sacred Scripture. This dialogue with Scripture must always have two dimensions: on the one hand, it must be a truly personal dialogue because God speaks with each one of us through Sacred Scripture and it has a message for each one. We must not read Sacred Scripture as a word of the past but as the Word of God that is also addressed to us, and we must try to understand what it is that the Lord wants to tell us. However, to avoid falling into individualism, we must bear in mind that the Word of God has been given to us precisely in order to build communion and to join forces in the truth on our journey towards God. Thus, although it is always a personal Word, it is also a Word that builds community, that builds the Church. We must therefore read it in communion with the living Church. The privileged place for reading and listening to the Word of God is the liturgy, in which, celebrating the Word and making Christ's Body present in the Sacrament, we actualize the Word in our lives and make it present among us. We must never forget that the Word of God transcends time. Human opinions come and go. What is very modern today will be very antiquated tomorrow. On the other hand, the Word of God is the Word of eternal life, it bears within it eternity and is valid for ever. By carrying the Word of God within us, we therefore carry within us eternity, eternal life.”

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Art
Saint Jerome - Jan van Hemessen
Saint Jerome - Georges de la Tour
Saint Jerome - Hans Memling