Dr. Jérôme

SCRUTATIO SCRIPTURAE

Dr. Jérôme

A Scrutatio for the 5th Sunday of the CHRISTIAN SEASON OF EPIPHANY

Readings from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer
Exodus 34:29-35 / Psalm 99 / I Corinthians 12:27-13:13 / Luke 9:28-36

Readings for the Pauline/Vatican II Rite of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
Isaiah 6:1-8 / Psalm 137:1-5, 7-8. / I Corinthians 15:1-11 / Luke 5:1-11

Quinquagesima Sunday

Readings for the Tridentine Rite of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
Introit: Psalm 31:2-3 and 1
Epistle: I Corinthians 13:1-13
Gradual: Psalm 76:14-15
Tract: Psalm 100:1-2

Gospel
Luke 18:31-43

Offertory:
Psalm 119:12-13
Communion Antiphon: Psalm 78:29-30

August 19, 2012 A.D.

As I was attending to THE CELEBRATION OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT OF THE DIVINE LITURGY OF THE SUBLIME SACRIFICE OF THE MASS at the Parish of the Holy Family in Parang, Marikina City, the Parish Priest, the Reverend Father Louie Atanacio, in his homily, gave a story about a pagan who asked a Catholic this question: 

PAGAN: "Why is it that when Catholics Worship, you don't bring any offerings to your God, while we offer to our gods and goddesses fruits, vegetables, the meat of our cattle, etc."

CATHOLIC: "Well, it is because our ONE TRUE GOD becomes THE VERY OFFERING THAT WE OFFER, NOT ONLY TO HIMSELF, BUT ALSO TO OTHERS..."

PAGAN: "Huh!? Why does he do that? Is your God gone mad?"

CATHOLIC: "YES... HE HAS GONE MADLY IN LOVE WITH HIS CREATION!"

PAGAN: "Then... I can now consider your God to be MY GOD TOO!"

Let me tell you a story about a man... 

A Great Pediatrician, Scientist, Son, Father, Grandfather, Great-grandfather and CATHOLIC whose life was a LIVING WITNESS to this ALMIGHTY, ONE TRUE GOD, WHO IS TREMENDOUSLY BLESSING, YET STILL ETERNALLY EVER-BLESSED!:  

On June 13, 1926., the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua, a baby boy was born to a mother, a gifted musician, and a father who ran a small business, in the commune of Montrouge, at the departement of Hauts-de-Seine, France...

This child was the second of the three sons that were given by GOD to this simple and devout Catholic couple...

They named him Jérôme, in honor of the great Papal Secretary, 

Biblical scholar and a Doctor of the Church during the 5th Century A.D.

From 1944 to 1951, Jérôme studied at the Paris School of Medicine where he took up Pediatrics...

Right after his Graduation, Dr. Jérôme, teamed up with Dr. Raymond Turpin and worked with the 

French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) as a research fellow.

By May 1,1952., he married the love of his life, Birthe Bringsted in Denmark... 

They would later raise a family of six, who would eventually be a source of tremendous blessings 

of 26 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren!

By 1957 he was named a United Nations' expert on the Effects of Atomic Radiation on Human

Genetics.

On May 22, 1958., Doctor Jérôme made a remarkable discovery that will leave a mark in history,

a mark that will make him a great scientist...

He was able to demonstrate, just 2 years after Doctors Tijio and Levans discovered 

that there are 46 chromosomes in the human body, that a child with "down syndrome" has 47,

thus discovering the cause of this "mysterious condition" for the very first time.  

By June 13, the day of his 32nd birthday, he was able to identify an additional case and a photo of the 

karyotype was met with skeptical interest at the International Congress of Genetics in Montreal, 

Canada...

By January 26, 1959., the International Community was able to grasp the full impact of Dr. Jérôme's

discovery when the French Academy of Sciences published the first paper of CNRS on the findings 

on the three additional cases of children with down syndrome. 

On March 16, the Academy made another presentation on the CNRS which confirmed nine additional

cases.

By April, the English team of Doctors Brown and Jacobs corroborated the findings of the French 

team of Doctors Lejune, Gautier and Turpin. 

"Mongolism" is now known as Trisomy 21... 

And because of this remarkable discovery, a new field of genetics was opened: CYTOGENETICS.

Dr. Jérôme saw CYTOGENETICS as an APOSTOLATE FOR THE CARE OF "DOWN SYNDROME"

PATIENTS, THUS EXHORTING THE SCIENTISTS WHO FOLLOWED IN HIS FOOTSTEPS TO   

FIND A CURE FOR TRISOMY 21.

By 1960, Dr. Jérôme received his Doctorate in Science and three years later, in 1963, he received

the "Kennedy Prize" from the President of the United States of America...

By 1965, Dr. Jérôme was appointed to the first chair of fundamental genetics at the Paris School of Medicine; serves as Director at CNRS; becomes Chief of the Cytogenetics Unit at Necker Children’s Hospital in Paris, where he directs the unit and sees over 9,000 patients...

By 1969, Dr. Jérôme received the William Allen Memorial Award, the world’s highest honor in the field of genetics...

By 1974, he was made a member of the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences.

By 1975, after one of his public appearances in Paris on THE BEGINNING OF LIFE, he was 

able to meet Wanda Poltawska, director of the Institute for the Family in Krakow. It was through

her that Dr. Jérôme was able to meet one of her most cherished friends: the Venerable Archbishop

of Krakow... 

His Eminence, the Most Reverend Karol Jozef Cardinal Wojtyla... 

The Future Pope John Paul II the Great...

By 1981, he became a member of the French Academy of Moral and Political Sciences.

When His Holiness established the Pontifical Academy for Life on February 11, 1994., 

he named  Dr. Jérôme Lejeune as its First President...

Dr. Jérôme, though he was suffering tremendously from lung cancer that was diagnosed on 

November, 1993, he painstakingly drafted its bylaws and the oath of the Servants of Life that each member of the Academy must take. His vision for the Academy was to make it a true center of contemplation and action to expand the culture of life.

On April 4, 1994., the GREAT FEAST OF OUR LORD'S RESURRECTION, this Great Pediatrician and Scientist, this Faithful Son, Husband and Grandfather passed on to his ETERNAL REWARD.

By June 28, 2007., the Archdiocese of Paris and the Fontenelle Abbey opened the cause for the Beatification of this Remarkable Servant of God who STOOD UP FOR THE SANCTITY OF LIFE though his scientific research...

May we be encouraged and challenged to HEARKEN TO OUR HOLY MOTHER CHURCH, WHO TEACHES US THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST IN ALL ITS FULLNESS AND SPLENDOR, FOR HE WHO IS THE ALMIGHTY KING OF KINGS AND THE LORD OF LORDS IS ALSO THE AWESOME WELLSPRING OF FAITH AND REASON!