ST. JEROME 

Today we had the pleasure of celebrating the memory of St. Jerome, the man who, through diligence, prayer, and no small amount of distress, translated the many sources of Scripture into the Latin Vulgate. As some of us study for our language exams, whether Latin, Greek, French, or Spanish, we are reminded by Jerome that the task of transmitting the word of God is not easy. All of us, however, are called to transmit the Gospel message, translating it to our various cultures, circumstances, families, and communities. While many of us may never master Hebrew, it is equally as difficult to express Christ to anyone else. In this sense we are all “translators” in the fashion of St. Jerome.

 The woman who has lost her firstborn son: how shall we translate Christ to her?

The country embittered by political strife: how shall we translate the Gospel for them?

The man who struggles with addiction: how shall we translate true freedom?

The answer isn't easy, but one aspect is surprising. All of these people who struggle and suffer are also translating the Gospel and Christ for us as well. If we believe that Christ unites himself to the lowly, the suffering, and the neglected, then they are perhaps the best translators we have of Scripture.

The people we've met on this trip thus far have offered us variant translations of the Gospel and it's not something that always speaks to us immediately or with full force. Yet what they show us are not “the persuasive words of wisdom but a demonstration of Spirit and power” (1 Cor 2:4). They show it by faithfulness to Christ amidst poverty and persecution. What does all this mean? The Gospel is something heard and something told. The words of Scripture are written so we might hear. Yet the people of God are put in our life so we might also hear His voice—both people who are difficult to hear and those who are pleasant to listen to. All of our experiences, Scripture, site visits, interactions with locals and ourselves, all serve to transmit the Gospel and Christ to our hearts. St. Jerome performed the thankless task of making many languages into one language so that we might hear the word of God. He labored so diligently that we might listen to the Word. So is all creation.