Feast of Saint Jerome

Reflection Date: September 30, 2026 | Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Daily Readings: Job 9:1-12, 14-16; Luke 9:57-62

Children of God:
September 30 is the feast of Saint Jerome.

Saint Jerome lived in the fourth and early fifth centuries, a period when Christianity was becoming increasingly established in the Roman Empire and the Church was wrestling with questions of doctrine, translation, and biblical interpretation. 

Christians possessed Scripture, but Latin-speaking communities did not yet have one complete and reliable Latin Bible based carefully on the original Hebrew and Greek texts. 

Jerome was deeply convinced that Christians could not truly know Christ without knowing the Scriptures that revealed him. 

He therefore devoted himself to studying Hebrew and Greek, comparing manuscripts and earlier Latin translations, and explaining difficult biblical passages. 

He revised the Latin Gospels and Psalms and eventually worked on the Old Testament directly from Hebrew, a demanding task that he continued while living in Bethlehem. 

His work eventually became associated with the Latin biblical tradition known as the Vulgate. Jerome's famous conviction was therefore not simply an encouragement to read more books; it expressed his belief that Scripture was a privileged place where believers encountered the person of Christ. 

He wrote, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ,” because he believed that the entire Bible ultimately led the believer toward knowing Jesus. 

The Church later repeatedly cited Jerome's teaching, including the Second Vatican Council, which urged Christians to become familiar with Scripture because through it they gain the “excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ.”

That passion for knowing Christ through the Word connects beautifully with the gospel story of people who approached Jesus and wanted to follow him. 

One person expressed his willingness to follow wherever Jesus went, while another wanted to attend first to family responsibilities, and another wanted to say farewell to those at home. 

Jesus responded by emphasizing the cost and urgency of discipleship. His words sounded demanding because following him required an undivided heart.

What are our inspirations for today? 

First, following Jesus requires more than good intentions.

One person told Jesus that he would follow him wherever he went, but Jesus immediately presented the difficult reality of discipleship. 

He said, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head” (Luke 9:58). 

Jesus did not sell discipleship as an easy or comfortable journey.

We often make good intentions. We say that we want to pray more, forgive someone, become more patient, spend more time with our family, serve the Church, or return to the habits that strengthen our faith. 

But intentions can remain intentions when we continually postpone them.

Saint Jerome's life shows what sustained commitment looked like. He gave years to studying languages, manuscripts, Scripture, and theology because he believed that knowing God's Word was worth the effort. 

His example reminds us that following Christ requires more than saying, “I want to.” 

At some point, our desire needs to become a concrete decision.

Following Jesus requires more than good intentions.

Second, we cannot keep postponing.

Another person in the gospel wanted to follow Jesus but first asked to return and bury his father. Jesus responded, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60). 

Another person wanted to say goodbye to those at home, and Jesus replied, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

These statements can sound harsh if we read them as though Jesus rejected family responsibilities. His words instead emphasized the urgency of discipleship and warned against allowing legitimate concerns to become permanent excuses. 

There will always be something that can make us say, “Later.” Later I will pray. Later I will read the Bible. Later I will forgive. Later I will serve. Later I will change.

Jerome's famous statement gives this urgency another dimension. If Scripture leads us to know Christ, then opening the Bible is not simply an academic exercise. It is an opportunity to encounter the Lord. 

When we continually postpone Scripture, prayer, and reflection, we can also postpone the relationship with Christ that these practices are meant to nourish. 

In this feast of Saint Jerome, he therefore challenges us not merely to own a Bible, but to open it, read it, pray with it, and allow it to speak into our lives.

We cannot keep postponing.

As we reflect, we ask ourselves: What good intention in my relationship with God am I continually postponing? 

Do I make time to read and pray with Scripture so that I can know Christ more deeply? What distractions or excuses are preventing me from giving Jesus the attention and commitment he is asking from me?

Children of God:
Saint Jerome reminds us that the Bible is not merely a book sitting on a shelf. 

It is a doorway through which we encounter the person of Christ. 

The more we listen to the Word, the more we discover the voice of the Lord calling us to follow him. 

But listening also requires a response. 

Following Saint Jerome, may we allow the Word of God to challenge our habits, correct our priorities, and strengthen our faith.