Today, we commemorate Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church St Jerome, who was born in the middle of the 4th century. He was born in the Roman province of Dalmatia in the region of the Balkans. He was a student of philosophy and ancient languages, studying in Rome. He made a decision to convert to Christianity and spent time living as hermit in the desert. He is well-known for his translation of the Bible into Latin, known as the Vulgate, commissioned by Pope Damasus I. He also wrote extensive commentaries on Scripture. His famous quote is: "ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ," emphasizing the importance of knowing the Bible for understanding the Christian faith. This assertion highlights the necessity for Christians to engage deeply with Scripture to truly know Christ and His teachings. In addition to his commentaries on the Bible and his writings on theology, the letters he left are important too, comprising a variety of topics, such as the problem of scholarship, comforting the afflicted, exhorting the ascetic life and the renunciation of the things this world, and debating his theological opponents. The Catholic Church recognizes St Jerome as the patron saint of translators, librarians, and encyclopedists. He ended his life living five years in the silence of the desert for five years and then living for 34 years near Bethlehem, spending that time studying, praying, and translating the Bible. What can we learn from the life of St Jerome. First and foremost, the importance of Scripture in our life of faith. He taught that believers should read and meditate on the Bible every single day to stay close to God. Also, his life story shows us the importance of personal conversion in our life of faith. As a young man, he sought worldly pleasures, but after his conversion, lived as a hermit in the desert and used prayer and fasting to fight temptation and grow closer to God.His journey teaches us to recognize our faults and accept God's mercy in our lives.
When one of the disciples calls out to Jesus in the Gospel today, “I will follow you wherever you go,” I wonder if he realized the implications of such a statement. All of us may feel something like that in our hearts, following Jesus wherever he goes and wherever he calls us, but it could lead us to some very difficult and challenging places. In the lives of the saints such as St Jerome, we see where Jesus can call on our journey of faith. May we be open to God and his will and the places where he calls us.
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