WEDNESDAY REFLECTION
St Jerome 30th September 2020
It’s very possible that the reader is unaware of St. Jerome. His is not a name that children tend to adopt for their Confirmation Saint and yet he was the subject of a painting, now in the Galleria Borghese in Rome, entitled “St Jerome in his study” by the famous artist, Caravaggio. In fact, Jerome featured in the works of many of the great artists between the 15th and 17th centuries, such as Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Leonardo da Vinci. Jerome came from Dalmatia to study in Rome and it was there that he received the Sacrament of Baptism. Later in life, he also received the Sacrament of Holy Orders and became the Secretary of Pope Damasus I. Later still, he moved to the East and there founded a monastery, a hospice and a school. There was something, however, yet to come which surpassed all these achievements. In what came to be known as the Vulgate, along with Greek sources, he translated the Hebrew Bible into Latin and wrote commentaries on the Gospels….a monumental task which resonates in the Church to this day. There was something else which seems quite apt and admirable in these difficult days. The barbarian invasions caused terrible troubles and in those dreadful days, he helped the refugees and all those in need. In our dreadful days we may not be asked to take on a monumental translation but we can all do our bit for refugees and those in need.
Let us Pray:
Almighty and eternal God, you endowed Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church, 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. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Monsignor Monaghan
