Shooting From The Hip: Jerome

Of late I have been reading from the letters of St Jerome, when I can get the time that is. A friend is rediscovering him, and I decided to have a look at him again. Jerome is well known to you all, and his biblical commentaries may well be a staple in your Scriptural reflection, but his letters are worth reading. For one thing, they are masterpieces of the epistolary form and renowned for their use of Latin. But they are more than that: they are theologically and spiritually deep, as you would expect from one who has been declared a Doctor of the Church; but they are also lively, entertaining, personal and very interesting. Given his reputation, Jerome is direct, but also passionate and profound. 

I would urge you to read them, and while I am reading from a volume of selected letters, the complete letters are available online at New Advent. Those of us in Carmel should be reading them as they had a huge influence on St Teresa; it was one of three works that fed her during her conversion and reflection on the reform -the other two are the Third Spiritual Alphabet by Osuna and the Confessions of St Augustine. But, of course, we should all be reading from the Fathers of the Church - after all, this was part of the reforms of Vatican II. Contrary to what has been said for decades, the Council asked us to go back to the sources, to the Scriptures, Fathers of the Church, saints etc, in order to fit the Church and her all members to begin a new evangelisation. But, of course, that was forgotten as many 'reformers' ran off and began building their new church on sand.  Well now that's sinking, time to get back to the programme and the Gospel. 

Jerome lived in an extraordinary era (he was born around 331), indeed one in which we see the beginning of the problems we now have in the Church. As the Church emerged out of persecution and was favoured by the emperor, mass conversions ensued for all sorts of reasons, and before long the faithful, who had endured martyrdom, now found themselves surrounded by what could best be described as cultural and political Catholics, and they were beginning to take up roles in the governance of the Church. Jerome and his faithful companions found themselves dealing with the aftermath, which included the Arian crisis. For many of these new Catholics the profundities of the faith were not a priority in their lives. After a busy life serving the Church and pope, he decided to head off to Bethlehem to live in a cave next to the grotto of the Nativity, to pray, study, write and guide souls, particularly St Paula and her community. He had also guided a community of holy women in Rome, led by St Marcella - many of his letters are addressed to her, and his letter 127 is a panegyric upon her death. Marcella also needs to be rediscovered by Catholics today - she is an exemplary model of the vocation of the laity in the mission of the Church.

Jerome was concerned with holiness, with living one's life in the heart of Christ. Immersed in the Scriptures (he produced the official Latin translation for the Church, the Vulgate) he discovered Christ - that's why he said ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. He directed souls according to the teachings of Scripture, so he did not rely on his own ideas, he turned to the Word of God for wisdom. One of his lovely letters is that to a young woman struggling with her vocation; it has become his treatise on virginity - Letter 22. It oozes Scripture set in the context of living a consecrated life - worth reading by all because we are all meant to be consecrated one way or another, particularly through baptism. Apart from the many wonderful things he has to say and insights he offers, one of the most consoling is his personal account in dealing with temptation. He tells the young woman not to be surprised that she will be tempted as she lives in the world, when he was living in the desert, fasting and praying, he was attacked by dreadful assaults by the evil one: if that happened where there was no external temptation, then we should not be surprised if we come under attack when we are surrounded by sensuality. That's good to know. He then urges her (and us) to resist and take what measures are necessary to do so. Good stuff, friends!

In another letter, Letter 14, he lays into a guy who abandoned the ascetic life; this man will eventually become a bishop. Jerome urges him back to the ascetic life, not to give in to fear: 'he is abundantly rich who is poor with Christ', Jerome says, 'seek first the kingdom of God'. It seems this guy wants to be a bishop, but Jerome, while acknowledging Paul did commend the one who sought the office as wishing to do a noble duty for the Church, does remind him of the qualities that are required of a bishop. The office is not for those who want to make a career or name for themselves, it is for upright, responsible and faithful men. Every priest should read that letter; an encounter with the snarky clarifications of St Jerome might just be the thing to temper clerical ambitions. 

So, there's something for the new year - an encounter with the person and writings of St Jerome. Far from being the distant figure many assume him to be, he was very human and likeable. He could be angry and he did not mince his words, but wholly rooted in the truth of Christ and a wise and understanding counsellor. If you are pondering over who to take as your patron for the new year, Jerome might be a worthy candidate - certainly in the upheaval that is afflicting all the faithful in these times, he would provide some direction, inspire courage and assure us, as we defend the faith of old, that we are not the ones who are mad.

By the way, if you are looking for a good biography of St Jerome, I would recommend J.N.D. Kelly's Jerome.