How well do you know Jesus? 

If we’re honest with ourselves, most of us will come to the same realization: we don’t know Jesus anywhere near as well as we would like to know him. The desire is there, but life gets in the way. There are times when we seem to be making great progress, and other times when we wonder if we know him at all.

This leads us to confront an inspiring and haunting idea: If there is one person we should each get to know in a deeply personal way, it is Jesus—the carpenter from Nazareth, the Son of God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the Lamb of God, the Messiah, the alpha and the omega, the light of the world, the God-man who wants good things for us more than we want them for ourselves, the healer of our souls.

So how can we get to know Jesus? Saint Jerome had a clear answer. 

Jerome was an early Christian priest, theologian, and historian who translated the entire Bible from Greek into Latin. His translation is known as the Vulgate, and it is so diligent and faithful that we still use it today. 

Jerome famously said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” He spent his entire life getting to know Jesus, especially by becoming intimately familiar with the Scriptures. Jerome’s contribution to the Church was so phenomenal that he was named a Doctor of the Church. His efforts made it possible for thousands of Catholics in his time—and millions in the centuries after—to get to know Jesus.

If we want to follow in Jerome’s footsteps and really learn who Jesus is, it all starts with a simple question: How well do you know Jesus today? Give yourself a score right now between one and ten. Sure, it’s a hard thing to measure, but you know if you’re a two or an eight. You might not know if you are a 6.453, but you have a sense of where you are on the spectrum.

Whenever we make the effort to know Jesus better, especially through the Scriptures, he surprises us. He confounds our stereotypes, reveals unconsidered possibilities, rearranges our priorities, liberates us from the chaos of the world, reminds us what matters most and what matters least, and brings real order to our lives.

Yes, it’s time to rediscover Jesus.



Feast Day: September 30

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Simeon and Saint Francis Borgia

Patron Saint of: Archaeologists, Biblical Scholars, Librarians, Students and Translators

Symbols: Books, Skulls, and A Lion

Canonized: 1767

Canonized By: Pope Clement XIII