Wednesday
of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial
of Saint Jerome
September 30,
2015 6:30am
At the beginning of Mass, I
shared a little bit about Saint Jerome whom we honor today.
In one of his commentaries on the
books of the Bible, Jerome says this: “Ignorance
of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”
“Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”
That statement really speaks to
me.
When I was growing up and
learning my religion lessons, Scripture or the Bible or the gospels played
little part in my learning or faith.
The catechism and the teaching of
the Church were the only rule of faith.
Then, along came the Second
Vatican Council in the 1960s, and things changed.
Then, in my college years, I
really got introduced to the Scriptures.
And since then, our Catholic
approach to faith has changed dramatically.
Now, Scripture and the gospels
are central to our celebration of the Mass, central to our religious education
programs and central to our spirituality.
The Catechism of the Catholic
Church is important.
Church doctrine and teaching in
general is important.
But, without the Scripture,
especially the gospels, it is dry and can be lifeless.
So, while there are many ways of
praying, Scripture needs to be central.
If it is not, then it will be difficult
for Jesus to be central.
We may know about Jesus, but we
may not really know Jesus.
We will really come to know Jesus
personally and have a personal relationship with him only through the Scripture.
So, I recommend that reading a
few verses, maybe one section or story from the gospels every day.
This, I believe, is an important part
of spirituality, an important part of healthy prayer, and an important part of
developing over time a close relationship with the Lord.
I recommend this practice and habit
for all of us.
All of this from Saint Jerome’s
comment: “Ignorance of the Scriptures is
ignorance of Christ.”
