Jerome

Jerome, Christians (2) friends (2), Paula, Blaesilla, people (2), Bishop

(Jerome, Christians on stage)

When Jerome was a teenager, he lived in Rome.  He practiced Greek, by smashing things on the ground and yelling "Opa!", and he practiced Latin, by singing Opera.  But when he saw Christians,  he would shake his head and pat them on the head like they were puppies, saying "You Christians are nice... but not very bright!"

(Enter Bishop) But eventually Jerome became Christian himself, and the bishop baptized him.

(Exit Bishop, Christians, Enter friends and Paula and Blaesilla) 

 But he loved to party! He and his friends and Paula and Blaesilla would dance and sing, and would do all kinds of crazy things, and get drunk, staggering around and puking and flirting with lamposts, and he and his friends would laugh and laugh about the sins they committed.

(friends, Paula and Blaesilla leave)

But after the party his friends would leave,  and Jerome would go to the graves of the martyrs, and he’d feel really bad.  He started thinking about Hell, and how awful that would be, and he was terrified.  He trembled, and chewed his fingernails.  He would start striking his chest and crying and saying “Help me to be better, God!”

(Bishop, friends, Paula + Blaesilla enter)

The local bishop ordained Jerome a priest, laying his hands on him.  His friends congratulated him. When Jerome preached, he would say “We party way too much, and just live for our own pleasure.  I think we should fast and pray and work, and live a simple life.”  His friends, including Paula and Blaesilla, changed their lives, and started making sacrifices.  But Blaesilla quickly got sick, and died.

(People enter) 

People said “See?  Jerome made her make sacrifices and now she’s dead, it’s all his fault!” 

Other people said “I also think there’s some hanky panky going on between him and Paula.”

The crowd said "Ooooh..."

Jerome and Paula both said “No.”  but the people suspiciously crossed their arms and said “MMM-hmmm” and looked at them in a knowing way.

(Scene Change- everyone leave but Jerome)

So Jerome left Rome all together, and became a hermit, a kind of monk who lives alone, near Bethlehem.   He spent his time writing, and translating the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into Latin.  The books he translated would become known as the “Latin Vulgate” Bible, and would become the first full Bible translated into the language of the people.

Jerome died as a hermit, and was buried near Bethlehem.

St Jerome-  Pray for us!