Posted on 09/29/2016 9:17:18 PM PDT by Salvation
Consenting to conversion
God prompts us to rise up from sin and then, with the light of faith, he enlightens our mind. Next he kindles the will with a certain taste and flavor. God accomplishes all this in an instant although we are expressing it with many words, allowing for an interval of time.
God brings about this work in us to a greater or lesser extent according to the fruit he anticipates. Light and grace is given to each so that, in doing what is in our power, we cannot escape anything without giving our consent. This consent is made as follows: When God has carried out his work it is enough for us to say: “Lord, I am content, do with me whatever pleases you, I have made up my mind never to sin again and to leave for your love everything in the world.”
This consent and movement of the will are made so rapidly that our wills are united with God’s without our noticing it, all the more so in that it takes place in silence. We do not see this consent but we retain an interior impression of it that prompts us to put it into action. In this operation it finds itself so enflamed that it remains dazed and dumbstruck and is unable to turn to anything else. By means of this spiritual union we are bound to God with an almost indissoluble bond because God does almost everything, having received our consent. If we allow ourselves to be led, God directs and guides us to that perfection to which he has destined us.
St. Thalassios the Libyan
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The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Amen. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) "Blessed are you among women, |
| Luke | |||
| English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
| Luke 10 |
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| 13. | Woe to thee, Corozain, woe to thee, Bethsaida. For if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the mighty works that have been wrought in you, they would have done penance long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. | Væ tibi Corozain ! væ tibi Bethsaida ! quia si in Tyro et Sidone factæ fuissent virtutes quæ factæ sunt in vobis, olim in cilicio et cinere sedentes pœniterent. | ουαι σοι χοραζιν ουαι σοι βηθσαιδα οτι ει εν τυρω και σιδωνι εγενοντο αι δυναμεις αι γενομεναι εν υμιν παλαι αν εν σακκω και σποδω καθημεναι μετενοησαν |
| 14. | But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgement, than for you. | Verumtamen Tyro et Sidoni remissius erit in judicio, quam vobis. | πλην τυρω και σιδωνι ανεκτοτερον εσται εν τη κρισει η υμιν |
| 15. | And thou, Capharnaum, which art exalted unto heaven, thou shalt be thrust down to hell. | Et tu Capharnaum, usque ad cælum exaltata, usque ad infernum demergeris. | και συ καπερναουμ η εως του ουρανου υψωθεισα εως αδου καταβιβασθηση |
| 16. | He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. | Qui vos audit, me audit : et qui vos spernit, me spernit. Qui autem me spernit, spernit eum qui misit me. | ο ακουων υμων εμου ακουει και ο αθετων υμας εμε αθετει ο δε εμε αθετων αθετει τον αποστειλαντα με |
As a group we all say the Angelus before daily mass. All attendees say it together. Such a nice prayer.
So do we before a noon Mass.
Saint Jerome,
Priest and Doctor of the Church
Feast Day
September 30th
Colantonio
St. Jerome and the Lion (detail)
c. 1445
Museo di Capodimonte, Naples
History
born at Stridon, [Dalmatia] in about 340-2
died in Bethlehem September 30, 420Saint Jerome, a "Father of the Church", is best known for his translation of the Bible into Latin, called the Vulgate (or "common language of the people"), historically the most important vernacular edition of the Holy Scriptures.
Well tutored by his father in religion and essential studies, Jerome (Eusebius Hieronymus Sophronius) was sent as a young man to Rome for further study, where he mastered Latin and Greek (his native language was Illyrian), read widely, and absorbed the cosmopolitan atmosphere. Although he was baptized in Rome, his religious faith declined. He went to Trier to continue studies. Here his religious spirit was reawakened, and he became interested in ecclesial matters.
In 374, Jerome went to Antioch, which was then afflicted with serious disputes and doctrinal divisions, and he spent several years leading an aescetical life in the desert where he suffered temptations, about which he wrote. Though reluctant, he was ordained a priest at Antioch. He believed his vocation to be that of a monk or hermit. He went to Constantinople to study Scripture under Saint Gregory Nazianzen, then in 382 he went to Rome to attend the council Pope Damasus held concerning the schism at Antioch. Jerome became the pope's secretary.
While in this position of influence, he revised the old Latin translations of the Gospels and Psalms, followed by the rest of the New Testament. He became known for his learning and honesty, but was also strongly disliked -- by the pagans as well as by Christians who objected to his teachings and his harsh, outspoken manner. After the pope's death in 385, he decided to return to Antioch; later he went to Jerusalem, Alexandria, and eventually settled in a monastery in Bethlehem, where he led a life of asceticism and study, established a school and a hospice, continued his writings against heresies, and did translations.
It was in Bethlehem that Jerome translated most the books of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Latin, and revised his translation of the Psalms using the Hebrew text. From 395-400, Jerome engaged in a conflict against Origenism. He also had a protracted dispute with Augustine over the interpretation (exegesis) of Saint Paul's epistle to the Galatians.
The Pelagian heresies, the sacking of Rome, attacks by barbarians, and assaults on his Bethlehem monastery by a group of Pelagian thugs exhausted Jerome. He died on September 30, 420, and was buried under the nearby Church of the Nativity, though his body was later reburied in Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome.
The very prolific literary activity of Saint Jerome, may be summed up under a few principal topics: translations and exegesis of the Bible; theological controversies; historical works; and letters. Saint Jerome owes his place in the history of biblical studies chiefly to his commentaries, revisions and new translations of the Bible from the Hebrew.
Sources: The Catholic Encyclopedia, NY: Robert Appleton Company, 1909; Butler's Lives of the Saints.
Collect:
O God, who gave the Priest Saint Jerome
a living and tender love for Sacred Scripture,
grant that your people
may be ever more fruitfully nourished by your Word
and find in it the fount of life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.First Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14-17
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:47-52
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth."Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes." And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
Related Links on the Vatican Website:
SPIRITUS PARACLITUS, Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV on St. Jerome, September 15, 1920
Related Links on the New Advent Website:
St. Jerome Writings, etc.:
- Letters
- The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary
- To Pammachius Against John of Jerusalem
- The Dialogue Against the Luciferians
- The Life of Malchus, the Captive Monk
- The Life of S. Hilarion
- The Life of Paulus the First Hermit
- Against Jovinianus
- Against Vigilantius
- Against the Pelagians
- Prefaces
- De Viris Illustribus (Illustrious Men)
- Apology for himself against the Books of Rufinus
Jerome: The Principal Works of St. Jerome [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Saint Jerome, pioneer and patron of scripture studies, to be remembered September 30
"Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ"
Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ -- St. Jerome
St. Jerome on the Bible
On St. Jerome
St. Jerome — Feminist?
St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church
Saint Jerome - Doctor Of Biblical Studies
Saint Jerome: Doctor Of Biblical Studies
Feast Day: September 30
Born: 340-342, Stridon, on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia
Died: 420, Bethlehem, Judea
Major Shrine: Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome, Italy
Patron of: archeologists; archivists; Bible scholars; librarians; libraries; schoolchildren; students; translators
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Friday
September 30, 2016
Peace & Belonging
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” - St. Teresa of Kolkata
Year of Mercy Calendar for Today: “Fast from saying negative comments today.”
Friday, September 30
Liturgical Color: Green
Today is the Memorial of St.
Jerome, priest and Doctor of the
Church. He translated many
early writings of the Church
including histories and
biographies. He died in 419 A.D.
September 30, 2016 (Readings on USCCB website)
O God, who gave the Priest Saint Jerome a living and tender love for Sacred Scripture, grant that your people may be ever more fruitfully nourished by your Word and find in it the fount of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Old Calendar: St. Jerome, Priest, Confessor, Doctor
Born in Dalmatia of a Christian, Jerome (345-420) was baptized in Rome, while taking his classical courses. He then studied under the best masters in foreign cities. But the Church had need of this extraordinarily gifted man. Jerome heard and obeyed the divine call, made a vow of celibacy, and withdrew for four years to a hermitage in the Syrian desert. The Holy Father soon summoned Jerome to Rome and entrusted him with the enormous task of revising the Latin Bible. This work, which took 30 years to complete, is the Vulgate version of the Scriptures. He also wrote many other works, mostly commentaries on the books of the Bible.
St. Jerome
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 sackcloth, studying the Scriptures.
He learned Hebrew from a rabbi. Then he returned to Antioch and was reluctantly ordained priest. With his bishop he visited Constantinople and became friendly with Saints Gregory Nazianzen and Gregory of Nyssa. And then in 382 he went again to Rome, to become the personal secretary of Pope Damasus. Here he met his dearest friends, a wealthy woman called Paula, her daughter Eustochium and another wealthy woman named Marcella.
Here too he began his finest work. Commissioned by the pope, he began to revise the Latin version of the psalms and the New Testament, with immense care and scholarship. Jerome eventually translated the whole of the Bible into the Latin version which is known as the Vulgate. But when Damasus died, his enemies forced the saint to leave Rome.
Accompanied by Paula and Eustochium, Jerome went to Bethlehem. There he lived for thirty-four years till his death in 420, building a monastery over which he presided and a convent headed first by Paula and after her death by Eustochium. The saint set up a hospice for the countless pilgrims to that place. His scholarship, his polemics, his treatises and letters often provoked anger and always stimulated those who read them. 'Plato located the soul of man in the head,' he wrote, 'Christ located it in the heart.'
Excerpted from A Calendar of Saints by James Bentley
Patron: Archeologists; archivists; Bible scholars; librarians; libraries; schoolchildren; students; translators.
Symbols: Cardinal's hat; lion; aged monk in desert; aged monk with Bible.
Things to Do:
Also known as
Profile
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.
Born
Works
Readings
What Jerome is ignorant of, no man has ever known. – Saint Augustine of Hippo
In the remotest part of a wild and stony desert, burnt up with the heat of the scorching sun so that it frightens even the monks that inhabit it, I seemed to myself to be in the midst of the delights and crowds of Rome. In exile and prison to which for the fear of hell I had voluntarily condemned myself, I many times imagined myself witnessing the dancing of the Roman maidens as if I had been in the midst of them: in my cold body and in my parched-up flesh, which seemed dead before its death, passion able to live. Alone with this enemy, I threw myself in spirit at the feet of Jesus, watering them with my tears, and I tamed my flesh by fasting whole weeks. I am not ashamed to disclose my temptations, but I grieve that I am not now what I then was. – Saint Jerome’s letter to Saint Eustochium
The measure of our advancement in the spiritual life should be taken from the progress we make in the virtue of mortification; for it should be held as certain that the greater violence we shall do ourselves in mortification, the greater advance we shall make in perfection. – Saint Jerome
If I am to indulge in any of the pleasures of the present life, I am resolved to do it in such a way that the solemn realities of the future Judgment may never be banished from my thoughts. – Saint Jerome
You say in your book that while we live we are able to pray for each other, but afterwards when we have died, the prayer of no person for another can be heard…. But if the apostles and martyrs while still in the body can pray for others, at a time when they ought still be solicitous about themselves, how much more will they do so after their crowns, victories, and triumphs? – Saint Jerome from Against Vigilantius, 406
I interpret as I should, following the command of Christ: “Search the Scriptures,” and “Seek and you shall find.” For if, as Paul says, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, and if the man who does not know Scripture does not know the power and wisdom of God, then ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ. No one should think that I mean to explain the entire subject matter of this great book of the prophet Isaiah in one brief sermon, since it contains all the mysteries of the lord. It prophesies that Emmanuel is to be born of a virgin and accomplish marvelous works and signs. It predicts his death, burial and resurrection from the dead as the Savior of all men. Whatever is proper to holy Scripture, whatever can be expressed in human language and understood by the human mind, is contained in the book of Isaiah. -Jerome: from a commentary on Isaiah
When the Latin Fathers are represented in a group, Saint Jerome is sometimes in a cardinal‘s dress and hat, although cardinals were not known until three centuries later than his time, but as the other Fathers held exalted positions in the Church, and were represented in ecclesiastical costumes, and as Saint Jerome held a dignified office in the court of Pope Dalmasius, it seemed fitting to picture him as a cardinal. The Venetian painters frequently represented him in a full scarlet robe, with a hood thrown over the head. When thus habited, his symbol was a church in his hand, emblematic of his importance to the universal Church. Saint Jerome is also seen as a penitent, or again, with a book and pen, attended by a lion. As a penitent, he is a wretched old man, scantily clothed, with a bald head and neglected beard, a most unattractive figure. When he is represented as translating the Scriptures, he is in a cell or a cave, clothed in a sombre coloured robe, and is writing, or gazing upward for inspiration. In a few instances, an angel is dictating to him. – from Saints in Art, by Clara Irskine Clement
Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Memorial)
Woe to you! (Luke 10:13)
A group of British actors recently produced a television skit based on Shakespeare’s famous line from Hamlet: “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” In the skit, the actors argued over how to say the line. One read it as “To be or not to be.” Another said, “To be or not to be.” Another stressed the word “that,” and yet another stressed “question.” The skit was funny, but it makes an interesting point: the meaning of words can change depending on how we hear them.
When Jesus says, “Woe to you” to the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida, how do you hear him (Luke 10:13)? It’s easy to imagine angry condemnation. But look at the context. Rather than expressing anger, Jesus is more likely speaking out of unrequited love. He has performed numerous miracles, preached about his kingdom, and demonstrated God’s mercy and love—all to little avail. So now he is admonishing them, not wishing them woe, but warning them of woe to come if they don’t accept his message.
Sometimes we prejudge people in the same way that we prejudge their words or actions. We have heard that someone doesn’t go to church, that the person holds certain views—or maybe that he or she has an offensive bumper sticker on his or her car. But we can’t really know what people are like unless we’ve talked to them. And if somehow we do learn that they are far from the Lord, that should make us more compassionate toward them, not more condemning. We should never make our faith an “us versus them” affair.
We know that in our own strength, we can’t love anyone as Jesus loves them. But that’s okay because we have received the Holy Spirit—the same Spirit who lives in the heart of God, the same Spirit who enabled the apostles to preach, teach, and heal. So ask the Spirit to give you a more compassionate heart. If you try to see people through his eyes, you’ll begin to look for ways to reach out to them. You don’t need an elaborate plan. Just try your best to show them the same love, compassion, and patience that God has shown you.
“Lord, touch my heart with your compassion for those who don’t know you. Holy Spirit, teach me how to be a messenger of your love.”
Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5
Psalm 139:1-3, 7-10, 13-14
Daily Marriage Tip for September 30, 2016:
Honoring the Sabbath as a family gives a chance to rest, recharge, and be reminded of the blessings of faith and family.
Luke 10: 13-16
Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.'” Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are with me as I begin this prayer. I trust in your kindness and love. You know my weaknesses because you saw them all during the agony you underwent for me on Good Friday. I wish to stay as close to you in this prayer as your Mother did to you at the foot of the cross. Accept this as the expression of my love for you.
Petition: Lord, help me to appreciate your gifts and use them to the best of my ability, for your glory.
1. The Privileged Few: Today we see another side of Jesus in the Gospel. Often we see him as the miracle worker, curing the sick, raising the dead. But now we see the flipside of these miracles: Christ demands a response from the people who have witnessed them. It’s not enough that people stare in wonderment at Our Lord’s mighty deeds. Those deeds, among other things, prove his divine origin and the truthfulness of his message. Part of that message demands repentance and conversion. Closer to our own day we can think of the tens of millions of people who personally saw Pope Saint John Paul II in his many public appearances. How many of those people actually changed their lives after the encounter? How have I responded to God’s grace and favor in my life? Have I taken God’s graces for granted?
2. The Not-so-Blessed: God, in his mysterious design seems, to favor some souls with gifts not given to others. Here, Jesus acknowledges that Tyre and Sidon – pagan towns – would have responded better to his miracles than did Chorazin and Capernaum. That begs the question: Why didn’t Jesus perform more miracles in those Gentile towns? Alas, ours is not the place to question the wisdom of God. Suffice it to say that Christ gives some of us more than he gives others, and he expects to see a return on his investment. It’s not enough that we keep our faith untarnished and sitting on a shelf, hidden from the world. No. The gift of faith should prompt us to strive for holiness, for continual conversion of heart, and for zeal to build the Church. Does faith impact my life like that?
3. Domino Effect: Christ’s authority includes his ability to delegate it. To the Church, he gives the power to bind and to loose. “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:23). Moreover, Number 891 of the Catechism observes that “The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys […] infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful — who confirms his brethren in the faith — he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals.” When we follow the Holy Father’s teaching, we honor the One who gave him authority. And Our Lord’s authority extends in other areas: to parents over their dependent children, to government officials who oversee the common good, etc. Do I respect the legitimate authority of those around me? Do I understand that obedience to legitimate authority is a form of obedience to God himself?
Conversation with Christ: Jesus, help me see that your obedience to Pilate on Good Friday was part of your obedience to your loving Father in heaven. Let me understand that obedience to legitimate authority is a means of growth in humility and holiness.
Resolution: I will carry out one request that a legitimate authority (a boss, a parent, etc.) has been asking of me… and do it with joy.
The fast-paced world we live in today often tells us to plan our lives around making money, achieving success, becoming famous, etc. The world also encourages us to follow all our desires and believes that, if we follow what we want, we will be happy.
We go to church every Sunday to attend Mass and even pray but we must not forget that many of the things around us can take us far away from God. The readings from the prophet Job reminds us to allow God to do His will in our lives. We are invited to trust in God’s wisdom above our own. Man, no matter what he has achieved in his life, cannot surpass the wisdom of God so he must bow down before the all-knowing and all-seeing God of goodness and light.
The Gospel reading from Luke narrates the latter verses of Jesus’ instructions to the seventy-two disciples before they embark on their mission of preaching to the people in various towns.
In today’s world of the internet and almost immediate communication and sharing of ideas, Jesus invites us to share the Good News with others. We have the opportunity to share the Good News of our Lord at home, in the workplace, in the university, etc. to everyone – family, friends, strangers and even non-Christians.
Though many may not be receptive to our good intentions, we must not lose heart because it is not us they reject but the Lord himself. We let God judge them for their refusal to believe. On our part, we must stay firm and do our duty as workers in the Lord’s vineyard. Then at harvest time, we will reap the fruits of our labor.
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