{"product_id":"jeromes-tears-letters-to-friends-in-mourning-9798889110439","title":"Jerome's Tears: Letters to Friends in Mourning","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe mystery of death strikes at the core of the human soul. We instinctively recoil at the pain of losing loved ones, and as we grapple, we are quick to seek remedies to console ourselves. There is no one better suited to assuage our grief than the translator of the Bible, St. Jerome (ca. 347-420). This book presents -- for the first time in English -- a fresh translation of seven of his most moving letters that sought to soothe his friends who suffered the loss of spouses, children, relatives, and loved ones.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou will be struck by the relevance of St. Jerome's words to your experiences of grief today. You will learn how to find peace after the death of a dear one as St. Jerome, with palpable emotion, points to the hope promised in Christ's Resurrection. You'll also learn to transform your loss into a new opportunity to follow the Lord more closely through deeper Christian living, a union that St. Jerome explains powerfully to his friends.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book begins with an introduction that presents the challenge of providing solace to the suffering along with a summary of St. Jerome's long life and of his theology of consolation. Each of the seven letters is contextualized with a brief paragraph about the people and the situation at hand as well as key themes for the contemporary reader's focus.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese precious letters reveal the compassionate heart of this enigmatic and eminent Church Father. By reflecting on the words that he used to hearten his spiritual children, you will be comforted in your own grief and fortified to support others in theirs. In these invaluable letters, you will encounter: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA mother whose daughter led a worldly life until just a few months before her death\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn elderly bishop mourning the death of his young priest nephew\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn influential and holy widow and widower grieving the deaths of their spouses\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA wealthy man who lost two of his little daughters and his wife in close succession\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEarly Christians who converted, led lives of heroic charity, and became saints\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eSt. Jerome also encourages those who remain in their grief to consider the blessings they received from the lives of their loved ones and to look forward to a happy eternity together with them in Heaven. After reading his letters, you will never think of death in the same way again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTranslator and editor David G. Bonagura Jr. is the author of \u003ci\u003eSteadfast in Faith: Catholicism and the Challenges of Secularism\u003c\/i\u003e (Cluny Media, 2019) and \u003ci\u003eStaying with the Catholic Church: Trusting God's Plan of Salvation \u003c\/i\u003e(Scepter, 2021). He is the religion editor of the \u003ci\u003eUniversity Bookman\u003c\/i\u003e and a contributing writer to \u003ci\u003eThe Catholic Thing\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eCatholic World Report\u003c\/i\u003e. He is an adjunct professor of classical languages at St. Joseph's Seminary, an adjunct professor of Latin at Veterum Sapientia Institute, an adjunct professor of theology at Catholic Distance University, and a Latin teacher at Regis High School in New York.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Sophia Institute Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50613671297298,"sku":"9798889110439","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c34be153-4449-422f-a485-7a9c1fb1db24.jpg?v=1732413307","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/jeromes-tears-letters-to-friends-in-mourning-9798889110439","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}