Tuesday - Feast of St. Jerome

Gospel – Luke 9:51-56

Life’s a Journey

St. Jerome’s Cave (home), Bethlehem

 

Speaking strictly as a certified sci-fi geek, I love my Doctor Who.  And one of my favorite lines in the decades-long series is when the Doctor complains to his intelligent time machine (it’s a long story) that it never takes him where he wants to be.  And the Tardis’ response?  Yes, but I always take you where you need to be!

Looking back on my life, I could have stayed home in the countryside of Southern Maryland and taken over Dad’s country store and post office.  I could have stayed in the seminary and served as a priest in Mississippi or Alabama.  I could have finished college at University of Maryland instead of moving out to Chicago.  I could have continued my job in retail sales (ugh).  I could have retired (relatively) comfortably after 40 years of teaching high school religion instead of accepting the call to the diaconate.  We could have remained in Chicago instead of moving to Tennessee.  Different life, different decisions, different journeys!  And you all have similar stories!  So many forks in the road; so many choices!  And yet here I am; here we are! I truly believe that, as much as I don’t get to always go where I want to go, God has always taken me where I need to be, where He needs me to be!

But not all of us are called to that physical journey; not all of us will be traveling to other towns or even countries to spread the Word.  Many of us are called to spread the Word right where we are and with the people we interact with on a daily basis, to share the Gospel message simply in our words and actions, in how we treat each other day in and day out.

And some of us are called to a more spiritual journey, living our lives in prayer and contemplation, like St. Jerome whose feast we celebrate today.  His journey was a spiritual one, spending much of his life as an ascetic living in a small cave in Bethlehem (see today’s pic). 

One of the 4 original 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 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 translating the Bible into Latin.

We are all on a journey; we are all called to share the Good News, sometimes in our dealings with others, sometimes in our prayer and meditation.  May we all find strength for the journey!

 

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