Salve, Regina, Mater Misericordiae.
Praise be Jesus Christ.
Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Jerome,
who lived in the 4th and 5th century
and is one of the 33 doctors of the Church.
He's probably best known for his translation of the Bible,
called the Vulgate,
and also for his saying,
Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.
Which brings us to the Scriptures
and how they must be properly understood
so that we may properly understand Christ,
his person, and also his teaching.
As St. Peter says, referring to St. Paul's letters,
In them there are some things hard to understand,
that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction,
just as they do the other Scriptures.
So understanding the Scriptures properly
is no indifferent matter,
because as
information comes,
it can lead to one's own destruction.
So with so many so-called Christians
claiming to be Bible-based
and yet having contrary teachings,
how are we to know who is correct
unless God has given us an authority
to teach us authentically
the meaning of sacred Scripture?
And who is this authority?
It is,
the household of God, which is the church of the living God,
the pillar and foundation of truth, 1 Timothy 3.15.
So, in order to understand the true meaning of the word of God,
we must naturally look to the pillar and foundation of the truth, the church,
the church that Christ founded on Peter.
Upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
And this is the one true church, the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church,
the sole custodian of sacred scripture.
Saint Jerome, pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son.
And of the Holy Spirit.
And of the Holy Spirit.