Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Today's Mass Readings

St. Jerome, who lived from 347-420 was considered one of the most learned of the Latin Fathers of the Church. Some people just naturally do everything in a big way. St. Jerome took on the Herculean task of translating the Hebrew scriptures into Latin without the benefit of dictionaries and a wealth of commentaries. After years of personal and temperamental struggle he was not only able to produce the standard edition of the Latin Bible called the Vulgate but gave us the famous quotation: “To be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ.”

Without demanding that we be Scripture scholars, it does beg the question: “How well do you know the mind and heart of Jesus?” Did the reaction of Jesus in the Gospel today surprise you? We have a motley crew of twelve men with very different backgrounds picked by Jesus to learn a whole new way of presenting God’s Covenant of redemption to the world. That was pretty heady and powerful stuff. Was it surprising that among themselves they took a wrong exit and debated about which one would rise to top leadership?

Jesus challenged them to redefine true leadership according to the norms of the Old Testament. The true value of anyone’s life at whatever level was measured by how they responded to the needs and dignity of the poor and the marginal. Jesus lived the divine paradox: the highest expression of human and divine life is found in humble love to serve the lowly. Do we believe that?

Reflection by Fr. Daniel Petsche, OSB