September 30
St Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Wednesday, week 26 in Ordinary Time
St Jerome, a priest and Doctor of the Church, was born in the 4th century and is renowned for his immense contribution to the intellectual and spiritual life of the Church. Raised in the Roman Empire, he devoted his life to the rigorous study of Scripture and languages, mastering Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Jerome is most famous for his translation of the Bible into Latin, known as the Vulgate, which provided the Western Church with a standard text for over a millennium. His ascetic lifestyle, time spent as a hermit, and abundant letters reflect his passion for holiness as well as a sometimes fiery temperament. Jerome was involved in theological controversies of his day, defending orthodox teaching with both precision and fervor. The Church venerates him not only for his scholarship but also for his call to deeper understanding of God's Word and the transformative power of Scripture. His feast reminds the faithful of the importance of study, prayer, and the centrality of the Bible in Christian life.
Permanent link
Ask a question about today’s feast
Questions about St Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Novus Ordo Missae)
The liturgical day
Mass readings
ReadingJb 9, 1-12.14-16
Job spoke and answered his friends:
“In truth, I know it is so:
How could a human be right against God?
If one tries to argue with him,
one could not answer him once in a thousand times.
He is full of wisdom and unstoppable strength,
one cannot stand up to him with impunity.
It is he who moves the mountains without their knowing,
who overturns them in his anger;
he shakes the earth from its place,
and makes its pillars tremble.
He gives an order, and the sun does not rise,
and he seals off the stars.
Alone he stretches out the heavens,
he walks on the crest of the seas.
He made the Great Bear, Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the South.
He is the author of great works, unfathomable,
countless wonders.
If he passes by me, I do not see him;
if he brushes past me, I do not perceive it.
If he seizes a prey, who can make him let go,
who would dare ask him: “What are you doing?”
And I, would I attempt to answer him!
I would try to argue against him!
Even if I am right, what is the point of defending myself?
I can only plead for mercy from my judge.
Even if he answers when I call,
I am not sure he listens to my voice!”
– The word of the Lord.
PsalmPs 87 (88), 10bc-11, 12-13, 14-15
I call to you, Lord, all day long,
I stretch out my hands to you:
do you work wonders for the dead?
do their shadows rise up to praise you?
Who will speak of your love in the grave,
of your faithfulness in the realm of death?
Are your wonders known in the darkness,
your justice in the land of forgetfulness?
But I cry out to you, Lord;
in the morning, my prayer seeks you:
why reject me, Lord,
why hide your face from me?
GospelLc 9, 57-62
At that time,
while they were on the road, a man said to Jesus:
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied:
“Foxes have dens,
birds of the air have nests;
but the Son of Man
has nowhere to lay his head.”
He said to another:
“Follow me.”
The man replied:
“Lord, let me go first to bury my father.”
But Jesus replied:
“Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Yet another said to him:
“I will follow you, Lord;
but let me first say goodbye
to those at my home.”
Jesus answered him:
“No one who puts his hand to the plow
and looks back
is fit for the kingdom of God.”
– Let us acclaim the word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org