Month: September 2021

Saint Jerome, Doctor of the Church, was a towering figure in the Church’s history, and we can learn some interesting things from the way he served the Lord.

The First Reading from his specific memorial readings is a good overview of his ministry: “Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed. … All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work”. (2 Tim 3:14–17)

After a loose early life, Saint Jerome converted and dedicated himself to asceticism and to study. He learned as much as he could, taking on linguistic studies and devoting himself to Scripture. In his own writings, he began to prove the truth of Paul’s second letter to Timothy, using Scripture for teaching, refutation, correction, and for training in righteousness. This came out especially in Scripture commentaries, polemical works, harsh criticism of heretics, meditations, and hagiographies. By the end of his life, he exemplified the Psalmist’s love of Scripture and the law of the Lord.

Reading Saint Jerome can be a shock at times. Take, for example, the beginning of his treatise of the perpetual virginity of Mary: “I was requested by certain of the brethren not long ago to reply to a pamphlet written by one Helvidius. I have deferred long in doing so, not because it is a difficult matter to maintain the truth and refute an ignorant boor who has scare known the first glimmer of learning, but because I was afraid my reply might make him appear worth defeating.”

Though it may seem off-putting to us, we have to remember that for centuries, this type of exchange, invective, was a literary style. Saint Jerome is not attacking anything beyond his opponent’s views, pride, intelligence, and learning, and he is doing so in an environment where it would have been taken more lightly. Of course, he immediately goes on to ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in writing, and promptly begins quoting Scripture in direct reply to Helvidius’s arguments.

Saint Jerome’s disposition and writings are a good reminder that we do not need to fit into a specific personality mold to reach the kingdom of heaven. In fact, there’s quite a bit of room for diversity. Jerome’s invective is harsh, but it shows forth his zeal for the kingdom of God and his unrelenting drive to root out heresies and prevent enemies from subverting the true faith of Christ.

Even with this constant correspondence with the enemies of Christ, Saint Jerome dedicated long hours to painstaking copying of books and translations of Scripture. It is thanks to Jerome’s immense zeal that we have the main Latin translation of the Bible, the Vulgate. This translation had been the foundation of the Scripture readings for centuries in the Roman rite, and it remains significant today.

Saint Jerome’s untiring effort and passion for the truth of the Scriptures shines forth in his writings and friendships, and it is something we ought to imitate in our lives as Christians. Though we do not have to use invective, we should never be afraid to speak of Christ and defend the Faith in times of confusion and trial. Saint Jerome, pray for us!

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Today, we celebrate the feast of the archangels, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. We don’t use many occasions to speak about the angels, but they are all over Scripture. From our readings, we see that the angels minister to the Lord, some singing His praises and some bringing particular messages. They protect us from harm, fight demons, and worship God face to face. As Jesus says in the Gospel, they ascend and descend upon the Son of Man, working closely with the ministry and mediation of the Messiah.

Like the angels, the archangels are messengers of God. The name “angel” means “messenger,” and the name “archangel” means “chief messenger.” Drawing from this, Saint Thomas Aquinas points out that the archangels bear the greatest messages of God to man. Whether by direct battle (Michael), by prophecy (Gabriel), or by healing (Raphael), these angels relay the most significant communications from God.

In Tobit 12:15, Raphael calls himself “one of the seven angels who stand and serve before the Glory of the Lord.” From this, the Church has gathered that there are seven archangels in total. They each have a particular role, signified by their Hebrew names. Michael, “Who is Like God,” defeats Satan, as recounted in Revelation 12, with his humble acknowledgement of God’s omnipotence. Gabriel, “Strength of God,” foretells the Messiah to Daniel and Mary, telling of the King who will put all kingdoms under His feet. He also warns Joseph of the coming persecution in a dream. Raphael, “God heals,” cures Tobit’s cataracts and casts out the demon Asmodeus, clearing the way for the marriage of Tobias and Sarah. We cannot be certain of the names of the other archangels.

In former Missals, separate feasts were assigned for each archangel. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael each had a feast, each with his own specific readings, and in even older times Michael had a second feast to commemorate a special apparition at Gargano. Aside from our readings today, which focus on the angels in general and on Saint Michael, the other feasts showcased Gabriel and Raphael in Daniel 9 and Tobit 12 respectively, where they are sent to assist the prophet Daniel and to aid Tobit and Tobias.

It is good to be remind of the angels and of the archangels every now and again, even if we are used to invoking Saint Michael’s intercession in the Saint Michael Prayer. These readings and the writings of the saints on the angels remind us that angels (and demons) are real, and are part of the Catholic Faith. We can pray for the archangels’ intercession by name, and we already know of the mighty deeds they have performed in salvation history for the glory of God.

We ought to remember this spiritual reality often, bearing in mind that, as Saint Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, “our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.” Satan and his demons would love to have us in Hell, but God and His angels are much more powerful. We can not only rely on their intercession, but can also be consoled in knowing that they join us at Mass and assist us in our prayers to God.

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