Memorial of Saint Jerome, priest and doctor of the Church
(Job 38:1.12-21.40:3-5; Luke 10:13-16)
We often hear of St. Jerome as proof that one does not have
to be nice to be a saint. It is true
that Jerome quite effectively criticized those with whom he disagreed,
especially if their ideas compromised Church teaching. In this way, he resembles Jesus in today’s
gospel chastising the peoples of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for their
refusal to accept him as God’s prophet. However,
Jerome should be remembered above all for his contribution to biblical
scholarship.
Jerome is said to be the most learned man of his time. Born in northern part of the Italian
peninsula, Jerome studied rhetoric in Rome where he became the pope’s secretary. Leaving the center of Church life with
patronesses, Jerome eventually settled in a monastery in Bethlehem. There he produced excellent translations of
Scripture from their original languages and wrote perceptive commentaries of
the books of the Bible.
Our appreciation of St. Jerome should be translated in a
lively study of Scripture. Like him, we
want to understand the meaning of the books of the Bible because they reveal
Christ. In the reading from Job today
God challenges his questioner who wants to understand why God allows evil. God asks whether Job has experienced all the
wonders of creation. Of course, he hasn’t
and neither have we. Nevertheless, we
can understand more about God when we learn about Jesus in Scripture.
