Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
Daily Archive
Saint Jerome
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 30 Sep 2008 | Tagged as: Liturgical Feasts
It’s appropriate that the feasts of Padre Pio and St. Jerome fall within a week of each other. Little unites the two, of course. The lives of the saintly scholar and humble Capuchin hardly intersect, except at the point where their lives can teach us a lesson about passion.
Like Padre Pio, St. Jerome was famous-and remains famous-for the wild shows of passion he would often perform in his service to the Gospel. Jerome’s letters to St. Augustine chronicle just some of the outbursts of his fiery personality. When reading these letters, our nineteenth-century Christian sensibilities have a hard time reconciling such passion with “good manners.” Niceness, however, is not a Christian virtue. Loving in the truth is. And in this, St. Jerome excelled.
St. Jerome is just one of the many fourth-century personalities for whom the Gospel appeared new, fresh, and a cause for cultural revolution. He was among a first generation of young cultural elites to surrender all for the sake of translating the Gospel for his peers, the educated and civic-minded classes of the Roman Empire. He made many mistakes, especially political ones. But to read his life is to observe the power of grace shaping and corralling native human talent for the promulgation of Christian truth. Out of his love for this truth, Jerome traded the comforts of the imperial government in Cologne and the papal household in Rome for a cave in Bethlehem, from which he led the Western world to a deeper understanding of the Christ whose life and grace are conveyed to us through the Scriptures.
St. Jerome suffered much in his life, occasionally at his own hands. His rashness led to some of his misunderstanding and persecution. But Jerome fought real fights against a world hostile to grace. To a culture loud with sin he bellowed back the call to justice and truth. Passion is needed for this type of confrontation, graced passion that can touch the fallen passions of the world. This is not a mystery the human heart can negotiate easily. But the hot blood of one saint can do more to arrest hearts for truth than the daintiness of a society governed by “Christian manners.”
Father, you gave Saint Jerome delight in his study of holy scripture. May your people find in your word the food of salvation and the fountain of life.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Theology on Tap – October 6
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 30 Sep 2008 | Tagged as: Miscellaneous
Join young adults for a series of lectures at Metro 53 Bar and Restaurant, 307 East 53rd Street, between 2nd and 1st Avenues. The event is from 7pm-8:30pm.
The second lecture of the Fall 2008 season is on October 6 by Kathryn Lopez, editor of National Review Online. Her topic this night will be “Faith and Politics: What is a Catholic to Do?” For more details, visit www.totnyc.org.
New York Walk for Life
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 30 Sep 2008 | Tagged as: Miscellaneous
Fall Foliage in Essex, CT
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 30 Sep 2008 | Tagged as: Parish Events, Parish News
On Wednesday, October 15, the parish’s Hospitality Committee will lead a daylong excursion through Connecticut’s fall foliage country. In the beautiful town of Essex (pictured above), participants will enjoy a steam train ride, a riverboat cruise, and lunch at the historic Griswold Inn.
The cost of the day trip is $115 a person. The deadline for registration is Wednesday, October 1. Please call the parish office for more information.