Tony Worner, our Leader of Formation, presents our Gospel Reflections this week and today reads from the Gospel of Matthew (13: 47-52), in which Jesus says the kingdom of God is like a drag net catching all kinds of fish, which are later sorted the good from the useless. Afterwards, Tony shares a little about St Jerome whose memorial we celebrate today.

Tony notes, born around 347 and dying around 420 CE, St Jerome was a monastic leader, traditionally regarded as the most learned of the Latin Fathers. He lived for a time as a hermit, became a priest, served as a secretary to Pope Damasus I, and established a monastery at Bethlehem. His numerous biblical, ascetical, monastic, and theological works profoundly influenced the early Middle Ages. He was a master of Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Chaldaic.

Jerome is known particularly for his Latin translation of the Bible, commonly known as the Vulgate, and has been designated a doctor of the Church. (A ‘doctor’ of the Church means that someone is recognised as having made a significant contribution to theology or doctrine through their research, study, or writing.)

Finally, Jerome settled in Bethlehem, where he lived in the cave believed to have been the birthplace of Christ. Jerome died in Bethlehem, and the remains of his body now lie buried in the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome. He is the patron saint of archaeologists, archivists, librarians, libraries and scholars.

And so, Tony invites us to pray:

Saint Jerome, God gave you a unique calling and used you to provide the Church with a foundational understanding of the Scriptures. Your dedication to prayer, asceticism, and study clearly shows your love for God and His Church. Please pray for us, that we will come to the same depth of love for the Scriptures as you did so that we will also come to the same love of God that you had.

Saint Jerome … pray for us!