St. Jerome
Posted on September 30, 2020 by admin No comments
Born: c. 347 Stridon (possibly Strido Dalmatiae, on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia) (located in modern Croatia)
Died: 30 September 420 (aged c. 73)[2] Bethlehem, Palaestina Prima
Venerated: in Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodoxy Anglican Communion Lutheranism
Major shrine: Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome, Italy
Feast: 30 September (Latin Catholic Church)
Patronage: archaeologists; archivists; Bible scholars; librarians; libraries; school children; students; translators; Morong, Rizal
Born to a rich pagan family, Jerome led a wild and misspent youth. Studied in Rome, Italy, and became a lawyer. He converted and joined the Church in theory, and was baptised in 365, but it was only when he began his study of theology that he had a true conversion and the faith became integral to his life.
He became a monk, then, needing isolation for his study of Scripture, he lived for years as a hermit in the Syrian deserts. There he is reported to have drawn a thorn from a lion‘s paw; the animal stayed loyally at his side for years.
Priest. Student of Saint Gregory of Nazianzen. Secretary to Pope Damasus I who commissioned Jerome to revise the Latin text of the Bible. The result was 30 years of work which we know as the Vulgate translation, the standard Latin version for over a millenia, and which is still in use today.
Friend and teacher of Saint Paula, Saint Marcella, and Saint Eustochium, an association that led to so much gossip that Jerome left Rome to return to desert solitude. He lived his last 34 years in the Holy Land as a semi-recluse, writing and translating works of history, biography, the writings of Origen, and much more. Doctor of the Church and Father of the Church. Since his own time, he has been associated in the popular mind with scrolls, writing, cataloging, translating, which led to those who work in such fields taking him as their patron – a man who knew their lives and problems.
Prayer to St. Jerome
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 his conscience throw the first stone.” In the light of your teachings, Saint Jerome, help me to see my own self clearly. Help me to confront my own biases and to act to change others only out of love. If I see that I have the duty to confront another, I ask you to be with me during those necessary but unpleasant moments of confrontation. Help me to remember that love alone can make changes for the good. Amen.
Prayer to St. Jerome
Master of unworldliness and founder of monasteries, you had a deep love for God’s inspired Word and were a most careful translator of the Sacred Scriptures. Your single-mindness in seeking God’s glory is a perfect model for all exegetes. Inspire them with respect for the sacred text as well as for Tradition and the Church’s Magisterium. Help them to impart to all the true meaning of the Word of God. Amen.
Prayer to St. Jerome
Show me, O Lord, Your mercy, and delight my heart with it. Let me find You whom I so longingly seek. Behold, here is the man whom the robbers seized, manhandled, and left half dead on the road to Jericho. Kind-hearted Samaritan, come to my aid! I am the sheep who wandered into the wilderness. Seek after me and bring me home again to Your fold. Do with me according to Your Will, that I may abide with You all the days of my life, and praise You with all those who are with You in heaven for all eternity. Amen.
Prayer of St. Jerome
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.
Novena to St. Jerome
(Please recite this novena for 9 consecutive days)
O blessed St. Jerome, our Patron and our guide, humbly we ask that you intercede for us before God, and that our petitions this day will be answered.
We ask your blessing on the poor, the sick and the unemployed of our parish. Bless all married couples, the young and the old. Grant that those who have heard the call to serve as ministers of your Church, will receive a special blessing this day. Pray for us, St. Jerome, that our parish community will always remain united in the love that only Christ can bring. May your word and example be our strength and our consolation. Amen.
Recite 1: Our Father…1: Hail Mary…1: Glory Be…