Midweek Devotion 2 October 2024

Reading

2 Timothy 3:16,17

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 

Devotion

St. Jerome Writing by Caravaggio, public domain

30 September was feast day for St. Jerome (c342-410), who, as one might gather from your author's name, is one of my favorite saints!  This particular painting, "St. Jerome Writing" by Caravaggio (1571-1610), lives in the Galleria Borghese in Rome. Caravaggio is one of my favorite artists.  He produced somewhere around 80 paintings in his short and tumultuous life.  He developed the style known as "tenebrism" which features violent contrasts of light and darkness.  This painting features that style with the vibrant highlights of red and white fabric, the forehead, the skull, and the book.

I love the intensity of Jerome in this painting.  Jerome, a scholar, translated the scriptures from Greek and Hebrew into Latin.  His translation became known at the Vulgate, which has the same root as vulgar which means, "of the common people."  I like that a lot.  Scripture should be accessible to the common people.  Did you know there is even a GenZ Bible translation???!!!  Here is its rendering of Psalm 23:

Gen Z: Psalms 23

1. [A Psalm by David.] The LORD is like my ultimate guide; I won't need anything else.

2. God gets me to chillax in lush, grassy spots and guides me to peaceful, calm waters. Dude knows how to create perfect vibes, you know.

3. He totally revives my soul: he guides me down the legit paths of doing right by his name.

4. Even if I'm in a really dark and scary place, like seriously bad vibes, I won't be freaking out because you're right there with me, and your guidance and support give me major comfort.

5. You hook me up with a lit feast right in front of my haters. You bless me with fresh swag and my drip be overflowin'. {anointest: like, making me extra fly}

6. Like, no cap, blessings and love will be with me every day of my life. And I'm gonna chill in God's crib forevz. {forevz: it's like super long}

Now, I'm not sure the translation resonates with my spirit or rests easy on my ear.  But I appreciate its sentiment.   As a preacher and a pastor at the center of my vocation is the art of communicating the inner meaning of the Gospel to people at their point of need. With Jerome and others through the ages I seek to share the wonders of a God whose love is revealed in scriptures and flows through the life of the community formed around those sacred words whose point is to connect us with the source of life and light in a world often preoccupied with darkness.  I wonder where this week, dear reader, might you find light shining in contrast to shadows in your life or the lives of those connected with you?

Prayer

O God, who gave us the holy Scriptures as a light to  shine upon our path: Grant us, after the example of your servant Jerome, so to learn of you according to your holy Word, that we may find the Light that shines more and more to the perfect day; even Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever. Amen. (Lesser Feasts and Fasts)