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St. Jerome, Father and Doctor of the Church

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Saint Jerome and the Angel , Simon Vouet, c. 1622/1625. Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. — St. Jerome September 30th, is the feast day of Saint Jerome, one of the four original doctors of the Latin Church, who is best known for translating the Bible from Greek (the Septuagint) into Latin (the Vulgate). He is widely regarded as the most learned of the Latin Fathers. A remarkable scholar and a sometimes prickly man, St. Jerome nevertheless believed deeply in the mercy of Christ. ____________________________________ One of the greatest Biblical scholars of Christendom, Saint Jerome was born of Christian parents at Stridon in Dalmatia around the year 345. Educated at the local school, he then studied rhetoric in Rome for eight years, before returning to Aquilea to set up a community of ascetics. When that community broke up after three years Jerome went to the east. He met an old hermit named Malchus, who inspired the saint to live in a bare cell, dressed in sack

Homily for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 21, 2018, Year B

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Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for today’s readings ) All three readings today contain a proclamation. Jonah: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.” St. Paul: “The time is running out.” Jesus: “The kingdom of God is at hand.” The kingdom of God is a major recurring theme in the New Testament, making its appearance well over fifty times. Its equivalent, “the kingdom of heaven,” occurs over thirty times. There are several other variants as well, such as: “Of his kingdom there shall be no end,” near the beginning of Luke’s Gospel and, near the end of the same Gospel: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” A very famous instance, of course, is in the Our Father, where Jesus teaches us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come.” We might ask ourselves two questions. 1) What does this petition in the Lord’s Prayer mean in general? 2) What does it mean to me, to each of us

St. John "the Beloved Disciple", Apostle and Evangelist

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Feast Day - December 27th  Saint John the Apostle, the son of Zebedee and Salome, was one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus. John was called by our Lord in the first year of His ministry. He is also known as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos and the Beloved Disciple. John's older brother and fellow Apostle was Saint James the Great. Jesus referred to the brothers as "Boanerges," meaning "sons of thunder." John was the longest living Apostle and the only one that did not receive the crown of martyrdom. Together with Peter and James, John witnessed the raising Jairus’ Daughter, the Transfiguration of Christ, the Olivet Discourse and the Agony of our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane. John was the disciple who reported to Jesus that they had "'forbidden' a non-disciple from casting out demons in Jesus' name." Jesus stated in reply, "There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. He

Pope St. Damasus I, Established the Canon of Scripture

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On December 11th, the Church observes the feast of Pope St. Damasus I, who lived in the mid-300s just after the early persecutions of Christians had ended. When Damasus assumed the papacy, there were numerous Gospels and stories of Jesus’ life that were then circulating. Many of these were not inspired. Pope Damasus convened an ecumenical council to determine once and for all which Gospels and letters should comprise the New Testament. He also commissioned St. Jerome to translate the Bible into Latin, the language of the Roman Empire. __________________________________________ Pope St. Damasus I: A Consequential Papacy On [Pope] Liberius' death, riots broke out over the election of a successor. The majority favored Damasus, who was born in Rome of Spanish descent. He had served as a deacon under Liberius and upheld the Nicene Creed. In less than a month, Damasus was installed in the Lateran palace. A minority refused to accept the decision and set up the antipope Ursinu

Saint Jerome on the Primacy of the Bishop of Rome

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The Church was founded upon Peter: although elsewhere the same is attributed to all the Apostles, and they all receive the keys of the kingdom of heaven, the strength of the Church depends upon them all alike, yet one among the twelve is chosen so that when a head has been appointed, there may be no occasion for schism. — St. Jerome ______________________________________ Prayer for the Holy Father  Almighty God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look mercifully upon Thy servant Pope Francis, whom Thou hast chosen as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Prayer of Saint Jerome for Christ's Mercy

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O Lord, show Your mercy to me and gladden my heart. I am like the man on the way to Jericho who was overtaken by robbers, wounded and left for dead. O Good Samaritan, come to my aid. I am like the sheep that went astray. O Good Shepherd, seek me out and bring me home in accord with Your will. Let me dwell in Your house all the days of my life and praise You for ever and ever with those who are there. Amen. [St. Jerome, brilliant light of God's Holy Word, pray for us.] _____________________________ Prayer to St. Jerome for Insight Through your anger and confrontations you remind us that we all have a duty to confront others from time to time. You also remind us that we have a duty to examine ourselves and confront our own weaknesses and harmful behaviours. Your life teaches that I must accept others for who they are. You taught of the danger of self-righteousness; of the importance of reflecting upon one of Jesus’ most insightful teachings: “Let the man who has no sin on

St. Jerome, Church Father, Biblical Scholar and Doctor

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Memorial - September 30th Anyone who ran afoul of Saint Jerome would not be likely to soon forget it. This formidable Doctor of the Church was as well known for his sarcastic tongue and blunt correspondences as he was for his redoubtable scholarship. The former was aimed at those who taught heresy or who did not uphold the moral standards of the Church. The latter led to his translation of the Bible into Latin, the common language at the time. That translation, the Vulgate, is the Church's official text. Saint Jerome was born Eusebius Hieronymous Sophronius in the year c. 342, in Dalmatia, a region of Croatia. His father, who was a Christian, saw to it that his son was well educated in terms of both faith and academics. Jerome’s instruction began at home, but when he got older, his father sent him to Rome to study with some of the best pagan and Christian scholars of the day. However, as most young men will, Jerome spent at least part of his early youth indulging in life’s

Saint Jerome, Latin Father and Doctor of the Church

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Saint Jerome and the Angel , Simon Vouet, c. 1622/1625. Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. — St. Jerome September 30th, is the feast day of Saint Jerome, one of the four original doctors of the Latin Church, who is best known for translating the Bible from Greek (the Septuagint) into Latin (the Vulgate). He is widely regarded as the most learned of the Latin Fathers. A remarkable scholar and a sometimes prickly man, St. Jerome nevertheless believed deeply in the mercy of Christ. ____________________________________ One of the greatest Biblical scholars of Christendom, Saint Jerome was born of Christian parents at Stridon in Dalmatia around the year 345. Educated at the local school, he then studied rhetoric in Rome for eight years, before returning to Aquilea to set up a community of ascetics. When that community broke up after three years Jerome went to the east. He met an old hermit named Malchus, who inspired the saint to live in a bare cell, dressed in sack

A Free, Catholic, Online Resource for the Study of Sacred Scripture

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In the words of St. Jerome, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." Moreover, the Church teaches that the Bible is the "soul of theology." The study of Sacred Scripture makes our faith come alive. To that end, I call your attention to a free, Catholic, online resource. Agape Catholic Bible Study is outstanding. In addition to Scriptural exegesis that is faithful to the Magisterium, it offers related charts, commentaries, maps and more. Deepen your knowledge of the mind of Christ. Visit today.