Today is the Memorial of St. Jerome. He is a Doctor of the Church and is best known for translating the Bible into Latin. He also wrote many commentaries on Holy Scripture. When I went to the Holy Land we were blessed to have a priest with us on the trip and celebrated daily Mass. On the day we went to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, we celebrated Mass in the Chapel of St. Jerome where he lived and worked. It is a very small, intimate and beautiful chapel. It was incredible to be in the most sacred places on earth; to walk where Jesus walked, to pray where Jesus prayed. We were in the Upper Room where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper and walked the road to Calvary as well as so many other places. I have such a deeper appreciation of Sacred Scripture since having been to the Holy Land. It is easy to place myself in the scenes as they are read at Mass or when I meditate on them because I have been there. I love my Biblical Studies, as we begin to study the prophets it is fascinating to see how the New Testament is a fulfillment of the Old Testament. So often when I am meditating on a certain scripture passage, other passages come to mind. No matter what I am dealing with, I can find guidance from scripture. It is truly a gift that we must cherish and the more we learn, the deeper our yearning becomes and we draw closer to God.
Heavenly Father, help us to follow the example of St. Jerome. Stir up the hearts of all those who believe in you so that we may yearn to know you more. Through your sacred teachings, may we gain wisdom and understanding of our call as your disciples. Let us read and meditate on your word so that we may find strength to walk in your truth. And during times of trials and sorrow let us find peace in your sacred words. Amen.
“Whoever is ignorant of the Scriptures is ignorant of Christ.” (St. Jerome)
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