“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”
Daily Reflections
Saturday, 30th September 2017.
Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church
Zech 2: 5-9, 14-15;
Jer 31: 10-12, 13;
Lk 9: 43-45
HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS MYSTERIES OF FAITH
Jesus in today’s Gospel foretells his death. But the apostles do not understand this great mystery. They did not understand what He meant and “they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.”Jesus, however was not offended by their lack of understanding. He realized that they would not immediately understand. But this did not stop Him from telling them anyway. Because He knew that they would come to understand in time. They understood all this once the Holy Spirit descended upon them leading them into all Truth. It took the workings of the Holy Spirit to understand such deep mysteries.
The same is true with us. When we face the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings, and when we face the reality of suffering in our own lives or the lives of those we love, we can often be confused at first. It takes a gift from the Holy Spirit to open our minds to understand. Suffering is most often inevitable. We all endure it. And if we do not allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, suffering will lead us to confusion and despair. But if we allow the Holy Spirit to open our minds, we will begin to understand how God can work in us through our sufferings just as He brought salvation to the world through the sufferings of Christ.
Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the meaning and even the value of suffering? Prayer to the Holy Spirit asking for this grace and let God lead you into this profound mystery of our faith.
Today we celebrate the memorial of St Jerome, who is known as the ‘Father of Biblical Science’ for it was he who translated the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament to what we know as the Latin Vulgate. He rightly said: “The ignorance of the scriptures is the ignorance of Christ.”
Prayer: Lord, I know You suffered and died for my salvation. I know that my own suffering can take on new meaning in Your Cross. Help me to more fully see and understand this great mystery and to find even greater value in Your Cross as well as mine. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.