Thomas Griffin 9/30/24
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September 30th is the feast day of St. Jerome (347-420). He is most well known for translating the Bible from its original language into Latin. His devotion to becoming a scholar of the Bible and a scholar of many languages was driven by his heart, which was captivated by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Jerome’s earlier life was centered on academics and being a man of the world. Over time, however, he became more aware of the teachings of Christ and was convinced to become Christian and hand over his talents to building up the people of faith.
His following words reveal his humility and acceptance of his former ways and dependence on God’s forgiveness and grace: “I am like the sick sheep,” Jerome wrote, “that strays from the rest of the flock. Unless the Good Shepherd takes me on His shoulders and carries me back to His fold, my steps will falter, and in the very effort of rising, my feet will give way.”
So often we can confuse the lives of the saints with the lives of perfect people that we could never be like. Jerome’s words here show that he was abundantly aware of his need for mercy. He was abundantly aware that he was sick with sin like the rest of us. He didn’t gloss over his need for forgiveness. Since he was an expert of the Sacred Scriptures he knew that human beings are all sinners.
His reliance on the Good Shepherd allowed Jerome to be carried away by holiness. Sanctity is not the sole result of our own efforts but the handing over of our lives to Christ – who takes us where we never thought we were capable of going. In order to become sanctified we must make Scripture our home.
Jerome once wrote that “the Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever reaching the bottom.” Anyone can pick up the Bible and hear God’s voice. It is the Father’s story of rescuing His children. However, it is also the work of the Divine Intellect who created it in such a way that its font is endless. We can read the same passage every year for the rest of our life and always hear more from it.
This is why St. Jerome could dedicate his entire life to God’s word.
“Make knowledge of the Scripture your love,” he said, “live with them, meditate on them, make them the sole object of your knowledge and inquiries.”
So many of us can frantically worry about what we should do when faced with a big decision. We can be anxious about making large decisions because we don’t know if God would approve or not. Should we take a different job or move to another state? Should we propose to the girl? Should we allow our kids to do this or that?
Any large question in life that we desire to hear God speak on can be brought to Scripture. If we wonder how we can hear the voice of God today all we need to do is open the Bible. Read a chapter of the Gospels each day or sign up for the daily Mass readings to be sent to your inbox each morning. When we make the Word of God our source of strength and knowledge we will slowly be able to hear how God is asking us to live.
Jerome knew this to be the case. For this reason, the life of Jerome can be best summarized by the centrality he placed on Jesus Christ. He once wrote, “We must love Christ and always seek Christ’s embraces. Then everything difficult will seem easy.” When one’s prayer and life becomes fascinated by the Son of God (and making contact with him each day through the Scriptures) he or she is allowed to always move from a place of peace and fulfillment.
Is that contact with God that will make us into another Jerome: a person most fascinated by the reality of God’s love and presence. That was the secret of this saint.
Thomas Griffin is the chairperson of the religion department at a Catholic high school on Long Island where he lives with his wife and two sons. He has a masters degree in theology and is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empty Tomb Project: The Magazine. He is the author of Let Us Begin: Saint Francis’s Way of Becoming Like Christ and Renewing the World.
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