The Gospel for The memorial of St. Jerome, priest and doctor of the church is taken from Luke 9, 51, 56. When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him on the way. They entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them? Jesus turned and rebuked them and they journeyed to another village.

The Old Testament is essential. It is a story that we have to understand. And then Jesus came, God incarnate. And so many things changed. And one of the things you see in the Old Testament is God using violence, destruction to make things clear to people. They understood violence and they understood power.

But there’s a new form of power in the New Testament. And so when Jesus rebukes James and John, who by the way, had the nickname Sons of Thunder, he said, no, we’re not there anymore. We’re not using violence to establish my kingdom, but forgiveness. Take a few moments to reflect upon these thoughts, and then I will close with a prayer. Foreign Let us pray, Father. Violence often has at its heart hate.

And everything about your kingdom is not about hate, but about acceptance, about love, about compassion. Help us always to live with the message that came from you, your son, Jesus. And we ask this in Jesus name, amen.