Friday, July 14, 2017

St. Jerome Love

Lately I've been frequenting the letters written by St. Jerome to his colleagues.

St. Jerome was a catholic theologian, monk, priest, and historian who lived from around 342-420 A.D. I first stumbled upon him and his works in a daily Christian devotional-type email in which one of his quotes was featured. 

Anyways, during some of my work breaks when I''m pretending to look busy or am bored, or during dinner, when I have time for some quick reading, or when I'm seeking to encounter a devout Christian's personality and outlook on life, lately I've been curious to see how St. Jerome thinks, and writes, and corresponds with others.

Today during dinner, I started reading his "Letter [#3] to Rufinus the Monk", and his paragraph on how much he loves Rufinus, how he describes how much he longs to see and visit with Rufinus was just so inspiring--if that's the appropriate word? 

I want to realize that level of love for my loved ones (my fam and friends) because I do feel that these past two years I've become progressively more absent. I've been ghosting more and more, and this has not lent itself to helping me be a good friend or family member. I do live with my family though, so ghosting isn't always possible (actually it mostly never is), but with my friends, it's been really problematic. :(

The section that really caught my attention was this [emphasis mine]:
Had it not been that my wasted and enfeebled frame fettered my movements, neither the summer heat nor the dangerous voyage should have had power to retard the rapid steps of affection. Believe me, brother, I look forward to seeing you more than the storm-tossed mariner looks for his haven, more than the thirsty fields long for the showers, more than the anxious mother sitting on the curving shore expects her son.

Omg how beautifully described ðŸ˜©ðŸ˜©
A love that so quickly goes to meet the other because they long to reunite, or a love that goes to do what the other wishes for because both parties will the good of the other and from that trust & desire to help the other they do as each other wills; a love manifested in the "rapid steps of affection". AGH WOWW 😭. A love that is not limited by environmental factors like it being too hot out to travel (mind you this is in the year 374 A.D. so there's no cars or modern technological means to travel), or by it being dangerous. A joy and excitement and some type of fulfillment or security in being with the other. Cot dayum..

What can I say about that other than first and foremost acknowledging that I (would hope to) aspire to reach that kind of zealousness in love for God in my life. Secondly, to have that kind of appreciation for my friends and family. I'm truly a very entitled and selfish and complacent person, so to see how St. Jerome regards his friend, Rufinus, is very motivating for me to too reach a place in my mind/heart/outlook where I can regard my friends with similar fervour.

Thanks be to God for bringing to light (to me) this type of devotedness, and God Bless!