Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Jerome. A monk and scholar, St Jerome translated the Sacred Scriptures into Latin. That in and of itself is an outstanding accomplishment, but equally as impressive is Jerome's love and devotion to the Word of God. The monastic tradition teaches about the importance of Lectio, or reading and meditating on the scriptures. St. Jerome's work helps us understand the importance of the scriptures in our faith.
Our families have stories some of which immerse us in joy and comfort, while others recollect the pain and frustration of our family journey. Some folks attempt to read the bible from cover to cover. The first few books are fine, but then comes Leviticus, and other texts having to do with laws and regulations. This method would be akin to going into a library and attempting to read each of the books from the stacks. The scripture stories are meant to remind us of our part of God's love, and his tradition of faithfulness.
While we might read the scriptures for information or direction, it is an excellent source of prayer and meditation. We might not realize how much of the Mass is directly or indirectly taken from scriptural texts. Men and women of faith are invited to prayer Christian Prayer, or the Liturgy of Hours, a compilation of Psalms and scripture texts.
The Word of God draws us into an even closer relationship with God the Father. The Sacred Scriptures asks us to reflect upon our faith tradition, connected to the faith story of men and women throughout the generations. In whatever translation we read, the Scriptures reminds us that we are a people of light, happiness, and peace.
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