St. Jerome in the Basilica of the Nativity
Bethlehem
September 4, 2025
Where better to translate the Scriptures than this holy place where “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Thus did St. Jerome labor for thirty years, producing in this place a most enduring rendition of the Scriptures, the Latin Vulgate.
It is said that St. Jerome could be a bit irascible. To tell you truth, I think I’d be irascible if I spent the better part of thirty years in a cave. What motivated St. Jerome to do this? Surely it was his love of Scripture but it was also his unshakable hope in the One who was born here, the One who came to set us free. No one would do such a thing without hope!
We do not come here as experts in Scriptural translation, but we are here as lovers of the Word of God, pilgrims of hope who put all our trust in the Word, incarnate by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin. It is our hope and prayer to translate the Word of God by the witness of our lives. We do this, not because we are clever or resourceful or good apart from God, but rather because the Incarnate Word became flesh and dwells within us. Thus, we came to this holy place and we are offering Holy Mass here in the hope of extending an evangelizing charity to those who are suffering on so many levels in the Gaza strip.
As the Word becomes flesh in us, it is not likely that shepherds will appear or that we will hear the song of the angelic host, or even that the night sky will be ablaze with stars. Such is reserved for the One who is Lord of lords and King of kings. What we do hope for is that, like the shepherds, we will be amazed, and like the angels, we will worship in spirit and truth, and like the stars, we will shine with the radiance of Christ.
In this sacred place, so much at the heart of salvation history, let us pray to find ways, in God’s grace, to extend the light and love of Christ to those who suffer so terribly. May he who was born in a cave because there was no room at the inn help us give shelter to those who have lost their homes. May he who was laid in a manger used for feeding animals help us give food to the starving. May he who was held in the arms of his Mother Mary help us to embrace him in the victims of this man-made disaster, and may the Lord bless us and keep us always in his love!