Saint Jerome and the Vulgate Bible | the Power of Holy Scripture (30 September)

About this sermon

On September 30, the Church honors St. Jerome, Priest, Confessor, Doctor of the Church, and one of the great Latin Fathers. Few saints are more closely associated with Sacred Scripture. His extraordinary study of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin helped produce the great Latin translation of Scripture known as the Vulgate. In this homily, we follow St. Jerome from his education in Rome and priestly ordination to his life of prayer, penance, scholarship, and biblical study in Bethlehem. His desire was not simply to possess information about Scripture, but to encounter Jesus Christ through the Word of God. St. Jerome famously taught: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” That principle opens the central lesson of this sermon. Sacred Scripture forms one divine revelation centered upon Jesus Christ. The Old Testament prepares for Him, and the New Testament reveals the fullness of the mystery of Christ. The homily also explores the literal and spiritual senses of Scripture, including the traditional allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses. Reading the words on the page is essential—but the Christian must penetrate more deeply into what God reveals through them. Finally, we are reminded that Catholics do not approach Scripture as isolated individuals inventing their own interpretations. The Bible belongs within the life of the Church, where it is received alongside the Fathers, Sacred Tradition, and the Church's teaching authority. St. Jerome devoted his intellect, his penance, his scholarship, and ultimately his life to knowing Christ through His Word. May he obtain for us the same hunger for Sacred Scripture—and the wisdom to encounter Christ whenever we open its pages. St. Jerome, pray for us! 📖 “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” 00:00 Opening 00:31 Feast of St. Jerome 00:39 Doctor and Father of the Latin Church 00:54 St. Jerome’s early life 01:10 Antioch, solitude & the priesthood 01:19 Jerome’s love for Sacred Scripture 01:27 Pope Damasus and the Latin Bible 01:53 Returning to the original biblical languages 02:24 St. Jerome goes to Bethlehem 02:39 Living near the birthplace of Christ 03:02 Understanding language, culture & context 03:18 St. Jerome and the Vulgate 03:36 Jerome, Augustine & his fiery personality 03:54 His life of prayer and penance 04:10 Death and burial of St. Jerome 04:38 St. Jerome’s teaching on Scripture 04:53 The Bible as God’s letter to us 05:16 “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ” 05:38 The unity of the Bible 05:59 Christ at the center of Revelation 06:32 The literal and spiritual senses of Scripture 06:49 Reading Scripture in historical context 07:03 Discovering the deeper spiritual sense 07:27 Allegorical, moral & anagogical senses 07:44 All Scripture converges upon Christ 08:15 The great lesson of St. Jerome 08:21 Why simply opening the Bible isn't enough 08:37 The danger of purely subjective interpretation 09:00 How Catholics should approach the Bible 09:32 Reading Scripture within the Church 09:49 The Fathers, Tradition & Magisterium 10:20 Asking St. Jerome for wisdom 10:37 Seeing Jesus in the Scriptures 10:53 Christ, Scripture & His Church 11:18 Closing prayer For more please visit https://www.themarianfranciscans.org/ Please sign up at this link https://lifecrusade.org/ #StJerome #SaintJerome #CatholicBible #SacredScripture #BibleStudy #CatholicBibleStudy #Vulgate #LatinVulgate #CatholicChurch #CatholicFaith #ChurchFathers #DoctorsOfTheChurch #CatholicTradition #SacredTradition #CatholicHomily #CatholicSermon #Bible #JesusChrist #TraditionalCatholic #SensusFidelium 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 ✝️ SUPPORT THE MISSION 🙏 Donate https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 📬 Free Catholic Newsletter https://sensusfidelium.com/newsletter/ 📰 Read on Substack https://sensusfidelium.substack.com/ ──────────────────── 📺 WATCH & READ 📺 Sensus Fidelium App https://sensusfidelium.tv/ 📚 Sensus Fidelium Press https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ 👕 Official Merchandise https://sensusfidelium.com/merchandise/ ──────────────────── 🤝 PARTNER WITH US 📣 Advertise on Sensus Fidelium https://sensusfidelium.com/advertise-with-sensus-fidelium/ 🎤 Invite Steve Cunningham to Speak https://sensusfidelium.com/speaking/ ⛪ Parish Formation & Consultation https://sensusfidelium.com/for-parishes/ ──────────────────── 🌎 CATHOLIC COMMUNITY ✝️ Trusted Catholic Businesses https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴

Topics

• Holiness
• Bible Study