“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ,” St. Jerome wrote in the prologue of his commentary on the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Despite St. Jerome’s compelling exhortation, some Catholics may nonetheless find Bible study a bit intimidating. What’s needed is a scriptural sherpa; a trusted guide to help unpack the multi-layered meanings from week to week.
And for 50 years, the Catholic Herald has done just that, through regular Gospel commentary columns offered from several priestly pens and keyboards. The Herald spoke with some of them to learn more about their media ministry.
Father Paul Scalia, the diocese’s episcopal vicar for clergy and pastor of St. James Church in Falls Church, had no prescribed process for creating his column offerings.
“Sometimes the reflection would basically write itself, other times it was like getting water from a rock,” he admitted. “The one constant was time spent in prayer with the Sunday Gospel and asking God what should be written.”
Father Richard Miserendino, campus minister at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, emphasized reflection and prayer are essential before writing begins. Once he has a draft, he said he tests it out. “Thankfully, my family and friends have no trouble telling me pointedly when I’m overly nerdy, boring or bland.”
A serene office and uninterrupted hours are of course the ideal writing environment, but Father Joseph Rampino, in residence at Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria who is studying at The Catholic University of America in Washington, said the reality is often a bit more hectic.
“I’ve written at least one on a train, and another — since I had accidentally written on the wrong Gospel — I had to re-write on a plane before having to shut off my phone. Some I’ve written in calm, and others as part of more intense struggles in prayer,” he said.
“Some are reactions to the Gospel as such, and other reactions to things the people in the parish have brought up or were facing,” he added. “The only constant has been the prayerful look to the Lord while encountering the Gospel text, and the desire to share that encounter for — hopefully — the benefit of readers.”
The insights of the saints are always an inspiration, according to Father Steven Oetjen, who works in the diocesan tribunal and is in residence at St. Agnes Church in Arlington.
“When I write Gospel commentaries, I live by the principle, ‘Originality is not a Christian virtue,’ ” he said. “We have a rich, 2,000-year-old tradition of understanding and interpreting the sacred Scriptures, and I see writing these columns as an opportunity to share from that richness.”
These priests agreed that, while writing the Herald’s Gospel commentary column was often an aid to their own homilies, the two modes of delivery are still quite different.
“The points made in the Gospel reflection had to be ‘translated’ into the style of a liturgical homily,” explained Father Scalia.
“I usually try to preach on something different than what I’ve written just in case the poor souls suffering through my homily have read my article first,” joked Father Miserendino.
“Since these columns in the Herald are generally shorter than a Sunday homily, writing them has given me good practice focusing on one idea and being concise,” said Father Oetjen.
Column readers — who apparently aren’t shy — have offered praise and critique, both verbally and in letters and e-mails.
“One fellow asked me about my interpretation of the parable of the sower, specifically ‘Where did I get the right to say that the seed (in the parable) was the Word of God?’ Awkwardly, I got to point out that Jesus says so explicitly,” said Father Miserendino. “Another dutifully instructed me that Jesus was not a king, which is awkward given that the church celebrates Christ the King as a feast.”
Father Rampino found fans in North Carolina.
“I was shocked to hear that people outside of our diocese were readers, but that makes sense in the world of the internet — and shows how even something as simple as a 600-word Gospel commentary can become a tool for preaching Christ far and wide,” he said.
Even in an era when approximately one-third of Catholics attend Mass weekly, these priests felt columns can nonetheless keep the faithful tethered to the church.
“Such columns are a great vehicle because they are ‘bite size’ and invite people to engage with the Gospel of Christ in a less threatening manner than, say, reading an entire book,” said Father Scalia. “They can serve as a good entry to something more.”
“The Herald has a larger reach than people realize,” Father Miserendino said. “And a reflection might continue to reach hearts long after the Sunday sermon has faded into the past.”
Heatherington is a freelancer in Alexandria.
