Friday – St. Jerome

Gospel – Luke 10:13-16

Turning Back!

St. Jerome’s Cave, Bethlehem

I was standing in line at the Costco checkout a couple of days ago and a woman just stepped/cut right in front of me.  It was as if I was invisible.  She knew what she was doing; she never once turned around and said anything.  That was frustrating and it definitely tried my patience.

But it makes me wonder how often we do the same thing.  I don’t mean being lost in thought and inadvertently bumping into someone.  I mean the times when we deliberately ignore or snub someone.  Whether it’s out of anger or jealousy or vanity, it is a clear choice to turn away and treat someone as if they were not worthy of our attention.

That is what we hear in today’s Gospel.  The people of Tyre and Sidon, Chorazin and Bethsaida, even Jesus’ hometown of Capernaum, feel the brunt of Jesus’ words of condemnation.  They heard Jesus’ message; they have witnessed His miracles!  And yet they chose to turn their back and reject Him! 

We celebrate today the Feast of St. Jerome who chose NOT to turn his back!  Instead he spent much of his life as an ascetic living in a small cave in Bethlehem (see today’s pic).  One of the original 4 Doctors of the Church, Jerome was a prolific writer and defender of the faith against Arianism.  He translated the Bible into Latin and wrote a wealth of Biblical commentaries.  His was also a physical journey.  Born into a wealthy and influential family, he enjoyed a comfortable life and an extensive education, particularly in the classical languages.  He was not baptized until he was almost 20 and then spent the next 20 years living a rather nomadic lifestyle travelling from place to place before he finally settled in Bethlehem to live an ascetic life.

Jesus has welcomed each and every one of us, as a child of God, to share in the love and eternal life of the Father.  How do we answer the invitation?  Do we ignore the call?  Do we snub the messenger?  Or do we, like St. Jerome,  open our ears, our hearts and our lives to His message?

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