Feast of St. Jerome

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Monday, 30 September 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the futility of worldly glory, pleasures, ambitions, desires and all the things which often distracted us in our path towards God and His salvation and grace. Each and every one of us are constantly being reminded this day so that we may continue to live our lives worthily in the manner that God has wanted us all to live our lives, in lives that are truly centred and focused on Him, and not on the many distractions and temptations present all around us in this world, all those things which can keep us away from the Lord and His salvation.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Job of the servant of God named Job, who according to Scripture experts might have not existed or might be a metaphor for a suffering and yet obedient servant of God, while some others said that he truly existed. But regardless, the story of Job should serve as inspiration for all of us on how to remain faithful to the Lord despite the challenges and difficulties that we have to encounter and face in life. As we all heard how the life of Job was truly blessed before his misfortune, as a rich man with great family and many possessions, and then, through Satan’s attack and efforts, all of those things were taken from him, while not even his body and health was also spared, in Satan’s effort to tempt him and see if he would abandon God.

If we were to continue reading through the Book of Job, we would then hear how Job remained firm in his faith despite all of his predicaments, and despite everything that he had to endure throughout the ordeals, including being attacked and criticised by his own friends and peers, he did not give up faith and hope in the Lord. And while he did encounter moments of despair and hardships, desolation and difficulties on the way, Job continued to remain strong in his beliefs and remained faithful to the end, and God rewarded him greatly, restoring everything that he had lost and in fact blessed him double than what he had before. Job’s perseverance in faith and devotion to God was known to God and He blessed him greatly for that.

It is a reminder for us all that first, our lives as Christians may not always be smooth sailing and we may encounter trials, hardships and challenges in our ways, and we may have to endure sufferings and challenges in our paths in life. However, if we remain firm in our faith and trust in the Lord, we will then be strengthened and empowered by God Who is always with us and by our side, as He has constantly reassured and shown Job all throughout, and also showed to all of us throughout the whole journey, that He is with us, leading us patiently by our side, ever always guiding and strengthening us through all the challenges and tribulations that we may have to go through. God has not left us all alone and He always provided for our needs, supporting us and encouraging us in this path.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the Lord Jesus were speaking to some of His disciples who were arguing and bickering among themselves, who among them were the most important and prominent, and likely who deserved more favour and honour from the Lord. The Lord rebuked them for all of those attitudes and behaviours, for their pettiness with worldly things, with all the glory and ambitions of the world. Each and every one of them as His followers should not be doing all those things and sought for all the temporary and illusory ambitions, all the false leads and temptations present all around them and all of us. His path, the Christian truth and journey, is all about focusing oneself on God and Him alone, distancing and detaching oneself from the worldly ambitions and pursuits.

As the example of Job, his suffering and the aftermath reminded us all, that all worldly pursuits and ambitions are ultimately meaningless and pointless, and we should not put our trust and focus on all those things but rather on the Lord and His Providence instead. We are all God’s beloved ones and as long as we continue to walk in His path and continue to be committed to His cause, we will surely be rewarded in the end of our journey, receiving the fullness of God’s inheritance and graces, the promise of life everlasting and true happiness and glory, everything that He has promised and assured us all from the very beginning of time, from the moment of Creation to this very day and to everlasting. We must always keep in mind of God’s ever enduring and patient love for each one of us.

This day, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Jerome, the renowned saint whose contributions to the Church and the faithful people of God were truly enormous, but particularly was renowned for his role in translating the Scriptures from the Greek Septuagint version, which itself came from the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts, into Latin language, compiling what would come to be known as the Latin Vulgate Bible, from which the various translations and the Scriptural basis of the Western Christianity was derived from, which remains to this very day, in all the Bibles that we have today, which can trace their roots to the works of St. Jerome, who has dedicated himself most wonderfully and faithfully to the Lord.

St. Jerome was born and lived during the fourth century, about the time when the Christian faith began to be tolerated and accepted by large parts of the Roman Empire. He converted to the Christian faith in his middle twenties and went for a while to the desert to live the life of a hermit, which is something that he is also often associated with. Later on, due to his connection and patronage by Pope St. Damasus, he was called to Rome to help the Pope in managing the Church there, as some sort of early predecessor of the office of Cardinals, as there was not yet any well-established system of the Cardinalate at that time. He helped the Pope with the reforms of the Church, rooting out worldliness and corruption from the Church and the clergy, and most importantly, as mentioned, he helped to compile the Latin translation of the Bible for those in Western Christendom.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, St. Jerome has shown us all how we should live in great faith and commitment to God, in living our lives with focus on the Lord and to be holy just as He is holy. There may be difficulties and challenges, as St. Jerome himself encountered throughout his life and missions, but we must not be disheartened or discouraged by all the challenges and trials that we have to face in this journey. Instead, like Job and St. Jerome before us, as well as the innumerable saints and martyrs, holy men and women of God, let us all continue to be faithful to the Lord, trust in His love and providence, and do our best so that our lives may truly be great inspiration to others and glorify the Lord at all times. May the Lord, our ever loving and generous God, be with us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 30 September 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 9 : 46-50

At that time, one day, the disciples were arguing about which of them was the most important. But Jesus knew their thoughts, so He took a little child and stood him by His side. Then He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My Name, welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me, welcomes the One Who sent Me. And listen : the one who is found to be the least among you all, is the one who is the greatest.”

Then John spoke up, “Master, we saw someone who drives out demons by calling upon Your Name, and we tried to forbid him, because he does not follow You with us.” But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him. He who is not against you is for you.”

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Monday, 30 September 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 16 : 1, 2-3, 6-7

Hear a just cause, o YHVH, listen to my complaint. Give heed to my prayer, for there is no deceit on my lips.

Let my defence come forth from You; Your eyes see what is right. You have probed my heart, searched me at night, tested me by fire, and You have seen no wickedness in me.

I call on You, You will answer me, o God; incline Your ear and hear my word. For You do wonders for Your faithful, You save those fleeing from the enemy as they seek refuge at Your right hand.

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Monday, 30 September 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Job 1 : 6-22

One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before YHVH, and Satan came with them. YHVH asked Satan, “Where have you been?” Satan answered, “Going up and down the earth, roaming about.”

YHVH asked again, “Have you noticed My servant Job? No one on earth is as blameless and upright as he, a man who fears God and avoids evil.” But Satan returned the question, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not built a protective wall around him and his family and all his possessions? You have blessed and prospered him, with his livestock all over the land. But stretch out Your hand and strike where his riches are, and I bet he will curse You to Your face.”

YHVH said to Satan, “Very well, all that he has is in your power. But do not lay a finger upon the man himself.” So Satan left the presence of YHVH. One day, while his sons and daughters were feasting in the house of their eldest brother, a messenger came to Job and said, “Your oxen were plowing, and your donkeys were grazing nearby when the Sabaeans came and carried them off. They killed the herdsmen. I alone escaped to tell you.”

While he was still speaking, another messenger came, “God’s fire fell from the sky and burnt all your sheep and the shepherds as well. I alone have escaped to tell you.” He had hardly finished speaking when another messenger arrived, “Three raiding teams of Chaldeans have killed your servants and carried off your camels. I alone have escaped to tell you.”

He was still speaking when another messenger came and said to Job, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking in the house of their eldest brother when suddenly a great wind blew across the desert and struck the house. It collapsed on the young people and they all died. I alone have escaped to tell you.”

In grief Job tore his clothes and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground and worshipped, saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked shall I return. YHVH gave, YHVH has taken away. Blessed be His Name!”

In spite of this calamity, Job did not sin by blaspheming God.

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Saturday, 30 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we have listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded yet again of just how fortunate we are to have been beloved by God so much, that He has provided us with such great graces, in sending us His most wonderful guidance and help throughout all these time, and how He gave us the assurance of His salvation that He has fulfilled perfectly and completely through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The Lord has loved each and every one of us so much that He has given us the perfect gift, the manifestation of His wonderful love in His Son, that through Him, all of us have been shown and led to the path towards eternal life and true joy.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, we heard of the vision which Zechariah received from God, a heavenly vision in which an Angel and a Man went around a heavenly Jerusalem, the Holy City, measuring its length and size, and how the Angel revealed to Zechariah that there would be no wall or protection required for the heavenly city of God, because the Lord Himself would be with His people, as He gathered all of His beloved people to Himself, calling all of them from wherever they had been scattered to, reuniting them all to Him, and reconciling them to Himself. They will be His people and He will be their God, and they all will enjoy forever the fruits of His love and kindness, blessings and graces.

We can understand this better if we know the context of the works and the ministry of the prophet Zechariah. The prophet Zechariah ministered to the people of God during the time after their exile and then return back to the land of their ancestors, and after they had started rebuilding their home back from the ashes and the destruction inflicted decades earlier by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Back then, the city of Jerusalem was still in ruins, with not just its Temple, but the whole city and its walls had been torn down and destroyed. Therefore, God’s words to His people came at a most appropriate time, reminding all of them, that if they all trust in Him and walk ever more faithfully in His ways, then there is nothing that they should be afraid of. God Himself would protect them and defend them.

And as we heard from the Gospel passage today, we heard of how the Lord sent His Son into our midst as we have discussed just earlier on. And there, the Lord Jesus foretold of His upcoming sufferings, the moments of His Passion and struggles that would come upon Him, as He warned His disciples and followers so that they would be ready for those moments and remain strong in the faith, and not falling into temptation or despair, when the enemies of the Lord were to rise against Him. Linking to what we have heard in our first reading today, we should realise the significance of what the Lord had done for us. Just as He had come into our midst, and willingly took upon Himself our many sins and wickedness, He had put Himself between us and our accusers, Satan and all of his forces that sought our destruction.

Thus, that is how the Lord, our most loving God and Saviour, had suffered for all of us, as He looked lovingly upon us from His Cross. He chose to suffer so that we may all be saved and have eternal life and true happiness through Him. His love for us endures even through the various challenges and the many trials that He had to face, and through all the betrayals and stubbornness that He has suffered and faced from us. He reached out to us nonetheless, and tried His best to save us all, and to lead us all back to the right path, so that none of us may end up being lost from Him, and that we may enter into the glorious kingdom and inheritance prepared for us from the very beginning, just as He has always intended.

That is why, today, brothers and sisters, let us all discern carefully what we have heard and discussed earlier, and discern carefully our path forward in life. Are we going to continue to disobey the Lord and to harden our hearts and minds against Him? Or are we going to rectify our mistakes and errors, and listen to His words and advice being spoken in our hearts and minds? Let us all make best use of whatever time and opportunities that have been given to us so that we will always continue to live our lives most faithfully and worthily in all things, and that we ourselves may be good inspirations and role models for others all around us, in how we live our lives with faith in God. Let us all appreciate all the love we have received from God, and the compassion and mercy we have received from Him.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Jerome, a great priest and servant of God, who is one of the four original Doctors of the Church, who is a great disciple of the Lord, and whose life and holiness should inspire us all in how we can live our lives in a more committed way to the Lord. St. Jerome was well-known for his ascetic lifestyle and dedication to God, and he was also remembered for his many theological works and writings, as well as his efforts in compiling the Latin translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible, which would become the Latin Vulgate, the version of the Bible used by many others up to this very day. He was also active in his other contributions to the Church, including as an important and close advisor to the Pope, so much so that he was considered as one of the precursors of the Cardinals that assist the Pope in the governance of the Church today. He was a truly dedicated and holy servant of God, in all the things he has done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the faithful examples of St. Jerome, his works and commitment should inspire all of us to live our lives worthily of the Lord as well, with focus ever directed towards God and not upon our own personal ambitions and desires. We should also help one another in putting our faith and trust ever more in God, and in doing what we have been all called to do as Christians, as God’s people. Each and every one of us should always be filled with the desire to love the Lord our God and to have constant faith in Him, at all times. We should not easily be swayed or distracted by the many temptations and challenges present all around us. May God be with us always, and may He strengthen all of us in our devotion to Him. St. Jerome, holy man of God, and devout servant of God, pray for us all sinners. Amen.

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Saturday, 30 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 9 : 43b-45

At that time, while all were amazed at everything Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Listen, and remember what I tell you now : The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men.” But the disciples did not understand this saying; something prevented them from grasping what He meant, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

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Saturday, 30 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Jeremiah 31 : 10, 11-12ab, 13

Hear the word of YHVH, o nations, proclaim it on distant coast lands : He Who scattered Israel will gather them and guard them as a shepherd guards his flock.

For YHVH has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of his conqueror. They shall come shouting for joy, while ascending Zion; they will come streaming to YHVH’s blessings.

Maidens will make merry and dance, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness, I will give them comfort and joy for sorrow.

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Saturday, 30 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Zechariah 2 : 5-9, 14-15a

Raising my eyes again, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered, “I am going to measure Jerusalem, to find its width and its length.”

As the Angel who spoke to me came forward, another Angel met him and said, “Run and tell this to that young man : ‘Jerusalem will remain unwalled because of its multitude of people and livestock.’ For this is the word of YHVH : I, Myself, will be around her like a wall of fire, and also within her, in glory.”

“Sing and rejoice, o daughter of Zion, for I am about to come, I shall dwell among you,” says YHVH. “On that day, many nations will join YHVH and be My people.”

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Friday, 30 September 2022 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord contained within the Scriptures, let us all be reminded of the need for each and every one of us to believe in the Lord and His words, and entrust ourselves to Him, with ever greater fidelity and commitment each day. All of us are reminded through what we have heard today, of the limitations of our human selves and existences, and how we have to open ourselves and listen to the Lord speaking to us and revealing His truth to us. We have to believe in Him and entrust ourselves in His hands.

In our first reading today we heard from the Book of Job of what God spoke to Job towards the end of his tale, after he had gone through great sufferings and troubles, humiliations and attacks against him by even those who were close to him, because he was attacked by Satan, who took away all of his possessions, material wealth and even those who were dear to him like his own children. In the end, Job himself had to suffer from painful and itchy boils when Satan continued to strike against him in trying to make him to betray and abandon God. Yet, Job remained faithful to God and did not leave the Lord. Not even his sufferings and trials could dissuade him or tempt him away from the path towards God.

Job believed in God wholeheartedly even as he despaired. He trusted in Him even when he languished in the terrible state of health, and also derided and abandoned by even those closest to him, cursed and attacked because they thought that Job must have committed a great sin and disobeyed God to have suffered such a great calamity to himself and his family and possessions. Thus, Job and his so-called friends and companions ended up in great debate in which Job himself despaired and blamed himself for what had happened to him, and saying that God should just end his life there and then because of his unworthiness and lack of virtue.

It was there then we heard the Lord kindly rebuking His own servant Job as we listened to our first reading passage today. The Lord told Job that he should not have despaired and thought that he could comprehend the greatness of God, His thought and ways. Whatever happened to Job, God said that everything happened according to His will, and that it was by God’s will that everything came to be a reality, including what God Himself would do for Job at the end of all of his great misery and suffering. God granted Job double and more of all the things that he had lost earlier due to the calamities caused by Satan, and he regained all the joy and wonders of the world because of his unwavering faith in Him.

Then in our Gospel passage today we heard of the Lord Jesus cursing several of the cities of Galilee such as Capernaum, Bethsaida and Chorazin, all of these because those cities and their people had not believed in the Lord despite everything that He had done before them all. Unlike Job who had believed and trusted in the Lord, remaining faithful to Him even when he was surrounded by the various calamities and not able to see the Lord and His great deeds, the people of Capernaum, Bethsaida and Chorazin all had seen the many miracles and wonders of the Lord, and yet they had not believed in Him.

Instead, some among them doubted Him and questioned His authority and the veracity of His works and wonders. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law among them in particularly kept on hounding Him and His disciples in trying to find way to discredit Him and putting many obstacles in His path. That is part of the reason why the Lord, in His righteous anger, rebuked those cities and all those within them who had hardened their hearts and minds against Him, and refused to listen to Him and His truth, despite all the things and wonderful signs which He had performed before their own eyes, and which they had witnessed on their own.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we recall these words of the Scriptures, we are also reminded therefore of our calling as Christians to trust in the Lord despite our trials and challenges, because the Lord alone is the source of all our hopes and salvation. And today, we should be inspired by the examples shown by our holy predecessor in faith, one great saint and servant of God, namely St. Jerome, who was remembered most for his great contribution in the translation of the Bible from its Greek Septuagint and Hebrew origins to the Latin Vulgate version, which allowed the faithful people of God in many places to have greater access to the truth contained within the Word of God in the Scriptures.

St. Jerome translated the Scriptures as part of his many other works and writings, which he carried out for the good of the Church and the people of God. And in his role in assisting the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, who entrusted to him many matters including the translation of the Scriptures itself, and the reforms of the Church, many considered St. Jerome as a precursor of the Cardinals in the Church, as one of the closest confidants and collaborators of the Roman Pontiff. St. Jerome also encouraged greater holiness and sanctity among the people he was working and interacting with, encouraging them to be ever closer to God in their ways of life. He had to face many challenges and trials, oppositions and troubles, and yet, St. Jerome remained firm in his faith and trusted God in all things.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples set by our holy predecessors, particularly that of St. Jerome whose memory we venerate today, as well as Job, the holy, devout and committed man of God. Let us all glorify God by our lives and let us entrust ourselves ever more to the Lord so that in all things, we may always be great and faithful witnesses of His truth, glory and resurrection. May God be with us always and may He bless us in our every endeavours and good works, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 30 September 2022 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 10 : 13-16

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! So many miracles have been worked in you! If the same miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would already be sitting in ashes and wearing the sackcloth of repentance.”

“Surely for Tyre and Sidon it will be better on the Day of Judgment than for you. And what of you, city of Capernaum? Will you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the place of the dead. Whoever listens to you listens to Me, and whoever rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me, rejects the One Who sent Me.”