Sept. 30. St. JEROME, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Lotto, Holy Family with St. Jerome
St. Jerome (340-420AD) was born in Dalmacia, modern Yugoslavia. He studied in Rome where he was baptized. He chose the monastic life, went to Syria and was ordained priest. He returned to Rome as secretary of Pope Damascus who commissioned him to revise the Latin text of the Bible. He then went to Bethlehem to work on this task. His Bible revisión is known as the Vulgate versión which the Church has adopted as the oficial versión of the Holy Bible. He also wrote numerous commentaries on the books of the Holy Bible.
Below you have today’s 2nd Reading of the Liturgy of the Hours, which is worth the read and meditation.
A blessed weekend to you all, God bless!
Fr. Rolly Arjonillo, priest of Opus Dei
IGNORANCE OF SCRIPTURE IS IGNORANCE OF CHRIST A commentary on Isaiah by St Jerome
I interpret as I should, following the command of Christ: Search the Scriptures, and Seek and you shall find. Christ will not say to me what he said to the Jews: You erred, not knowing the Scriptures and not knowing the power of God. For if, as Paul says, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, and if the man who does not know Scripture does not know the power and wisdom of God, then ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.
Therefore, I will imitate the head of a household who brings out of his storehouse things both new and old, and says to his spouse in the Song of Songs: I have kept for you things new and old, my beloved. In this way permit me to explain Isaiah, showing that he was not only a prophet, but an evangelist and an apostle as well. For he says about himself and the other evangelists: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news, of those who announce peace. And God speaks to him as if he were an apostle: Whom shall I send, who will go to my people? And he answers: Here I am; send me.
No one should think that I mean to explain the entire subject matter of this great book of Scripture in one brief sermon, since it contains all the mysteries of the Lord. It prophesies that Emmanuel is to be born of a virgin and accomplish marvellous works and signs. It predicts his death, burial and resurrection from the dead as the Saviour of all men. I need say nothing about the natural sciences, ethics and logic. Whatever is proper to holy Scripture, whatever can be expressed in human language and understood by the human mind, is contained in the book of Isaiah. Of these mysteries the author himself testifies when he writes: You will be given a vision of all things, like words in a sealed scroll. When they give the writings to a wise man, they will say: Read this. And he will reply: I cannot, for it is sealed. And when the scroll is given to an uneducated man and he is told: Read this, he will reply: I do not know how to read.
Should this argument appear weak to anyone, let him listen to the Apostle: Let two or three prophets speak, and let others interpret; if, however, a revelation should come to one of those who are seated there, let the first one be quiet. How can they be silent, since it depends on the Spirit who speaks through his prophets whether they remain silent or speak? If they understood what they were saying, all things would be full of wisdom and knowledge. But it was not the air vibrating with the human voice that reached their ears, but rather it was God speaking within the soul of the prophets, just as another prophet says: It is an angel who spoke in me; and again, Crying out in our hearts, Abba, Father’, and I shall listen to what the Lord God says within me.
Responsory
℟. All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for instruction and for teaching men to be holy.* This is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work.
℣. A discerning son is he who keeps the law.* This is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work.
Let us pray. Almighty, ever-living God, you endowed Saint Jerome with a deep reverence for Holy Scripture, which he loved with all his heart. Sustain us ever more with your Word and help us to find in it the source of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
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