Pope Benedict on St. Jerome

Continuation of his catechesis on the Fathers, from Asia News Italy:

 The figure of St Jerome, was instead at the centre of his discourse to over 20 thousand pilgrims in St Peter’s square, despite the cold and threat of rain.  Today the Pope underlined the instead of education to responsibility, central to the teachings and example of the Saint, declared “eminent doctor of the Church” by Benedict XV, for his interpretations of scripture. An education to responsibility “before God and before man is the true condition for progress, peace and reconciliation and as a result the exclusion of violence”.

Love for Sacred scripture, the need for coherence between life and faith, especially for “preachers” so that they may not become like “that master who with a full stomach preaches of fasting”, the need for personal formation, from early childhood and for communion with the pope.  These are just some of the factors which St Jerome urged – to whom pope Benedict already dedicated last weeks catechesis – together with “the importance of a broad and disciplined Christian education for the young, including women”- quite unexpected in ancient times.

For St. Jerome “familiarising oneself with biblical texts above all the New Testament is essential for the believer, because ignoring the Sacred Scripture means ignoring Christ”. “Truly enamoured with the Word of God he would ask how one could live without the scriptures”, without the Bible “which is the source of  Christian life, for every person in every situation”.  It means “conversing with God”.  Its study and meditation “makes man wise and serene”.

At the same time it is our duty to  “unite our lives with the Word of God”.  Coherence “is necessary for each and every Christian and particularly for those who preach so that their actions do not undermine their words or embarrass them”.  As is the case with “that master who with a full stomach preaches of fasting”.

Agreement: Pope First Among Patriarchs

But disagreement on what that means, from the Vatican-Orthodox commission as reported in the International Herald Tribune:

The theological commission said it agreed in Ravenna that Rome occupied the “first place” in canonical order of the ancient seats of bishops — including Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem.

The commission said it agreed “that the bishop of Rome was therefore the ‘protos’ (first in ancient Greek) among the patriarchs.”

“They disagree, however, on the interpretation of the historical evidence from this era regarding the prerogatives of the bishop of Rome as ‘protos,’” the commission’s document said.

“While the fact of primacy at the universal level is accepted by both East and West, there are differences of understanding with regard to the manner in which it is to be exercised, and also with regard to its scriptural and theological foundations,” the document continued.

It said the role of the bishop of Rome — the pope — in communion with other churches must be studied in greater depth.

Come and Hear my Talk

On “Three Keys to Growing in Holiness”–tonight in Mankato, MN at St. Joseph the Worker parish.

Detraction and Blogs

Father Groeschel warned Catholic bloggers against committing the sin of detraction–saying that admittedly in our culture the sin is not easily recognized as a sin.  Te Deum laudamus! points out the Catechism teaching on this sin:

2477 Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury. He becomes guilty:

• of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;
• of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another’s faults and failings to persons who did not know them;
• of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them

I have been guilty of this sin in the past, have tried not to commit it in the present and have been a victim of it. We all have sinned, everyone of us–thanks be to God there is forgiveness and mercy–we all need prayers.