Dear friends, today we honor St. Jerome , the great scholar who gave the Church the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible. St. Jerome’...
Dear friends, today we honor St. Jerome, the great scholar who gave the Church the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible. St. Jerome’s life, combined with our readings, highlights three key spiritual practices for us: Direction, Dedication, and Dialogue.
First, Direction. The Gospel opens by saying Jesus "steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem." His entire life was pointed toward His divine mission. Like Jesus, our lives need a clear direction—a firm commitment to follow Christ, even when the path is difficult or unwelcome, as it was in the Samaritan village. St. Jerome dedicated his life to translating the Word, always keeping his eyes fixed on Christ. What is the Jerusalem we are heading toward? It is holiness.
Second, Dedication. The First Reading from Zechariah prophesies of people so dedicated to seeking the Lord that they will cling to the sleeve of a Jew, saying, "We have heard that God is with you." This is dedication! St. Jerome famously said, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." He dedicated decades to study and translation, convinced that the Word of God was essential for knowing Him. Let us ask ourselves: How dedicated are we to seeking God in His Word and in prayer?
Finally, Dialogue. The disciples in the Gospel wanted to call down fire on those who rejected Jesus. They lacked the patience and charity necessary for genuine dialogue and mission. Jesus corrected them, teaching that the Son of Man came "not to destroy souls, but to save." St. Jerome, in his work, facilitated a great dialogue between God and humanity by giving them the Scripture in their common tongue. Our dialogue with those who are different or unwelcoming must always be one of patience, love, and salvation, never judgment.
Let us follow Jesus' direction, imitate St. Jerome’s dedication to the Word, and approach the world with Christ’s spirit of peaceful dialogue. Amen.
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