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Saint Jerome on Reading the Bible
Nov
18
Written by:
Sunday, November 18, 2007
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 18, 2007
I am a regular subscriber to Zenit on the internet. Each day I receive from this website information from the Vatican News Service about happenings in Rome, spiritual advice and the words of the Holy Father via e-mail. I strongly encourage parishioners who are interested in the church and building up their faith to subscribe to this daily service (which is free!). All you need to do is to copy this link into your web-browser and follow the instructions: http://www.zenit.org/english/subscribe.html.
In this column, I will let the Holy Father speak for me. This excerpt is taken from Pope Benedict's weekly Wednesday address as reported from zenit dated Wednesday, Nov 14. I found these words of the Holy Father very helpful to my spiritual life and so I wish to pass them on to you.
Father Gary
The Holy Father said that in Jerome's writings, he "underlined the joy and importance of familiarizing oneself with the biblical texts." He cited one of the epistles of the scholar: "Don't you feel, here on earth, that you are already in the kingdom of heaven, just by living in these texts, meditating on them, and not seeking anything else?"
Jerome saw the Bible as the "catalyst and source of Christian life for all situations and for everyone," said the Holy Father. He further quoted the biblical scholar, "The study and meditation of Scripture makes man wise and at peace."
"Certainly, to penetrate more deeply the word of God, a constant and increasing practice is necessary," said the Pope. He quoted Jerome who advised in a letter, "Read the divine Scriptures with much regularity; let the Holy Book never be laid down by your hands."
"Love sacred Scripture and wisdom shall love you; love it tenderly, and it will protect you; honor it and you shall receive its caresses," Jerome had written to a spiritual daughter. "Love the science of Scripture, and you shall not love the vices of the flesh," added the exegete.
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