Rereading of the life of Saint Jerome Emiliani
written by the Anonymous
In this work, by means of a method of reading common in school education, the lot of components that are interwoven to form a literary textare highlighted.
We received the Life of the Jerome Miani Venetian Nobleman from an anonymous author, even if there are several identification hypotheses. He is certainly a Venetian nobleman friend of the Saint, probably Marco Contarini. As Jerome, he was related to the bishop of Verona Matteo Giberti and to Domenico Sauli, minister in the service of the last Duke of Milan Francesco Sforza. It is a text full of ideas, to be examined from various perspectives.
Renaissance component
The Anonymous begins with some reflections typical of Christian humanism: God has planned everything for man, His noblest creature; he gave him “the gift of writing”, so that he could pass on historical events, establish relationships with other mortals, present models of life that could guide behavior. But literature, instead of being a means of life, has become an instrument of death. The author identifies some currents of the sixteenth century already pervaded by ananti-Christianunderstanding: erotic stories and fictitioustales, political essays with a very severe judgment on Machiavelli as “beastly rather than human mind”, the pseudo-religious current, pagan, steeped of magic.
The culture inspires a practice: nowadays, whereas the world should be a shelter for humanity, ithas become a horrible den of cruel and merciless wild beasts. There is need of new examples of behavior. Here then the Anonymous, which owns the beautiful gift of writing, offering in Jerome Miani a model of humanity, because “the pilgrim minds”, the brilliant writers follow him in the holy work of exalting an extraordinary man and young Venetians learn how addressing their efforts.
The author’s introduction immediately shows us that we are dealing with a Renaissance portrait, drawn by a person educated in the cult of the values of humanity, dignity and the spiritual nobility of man. The Anonymous has the mental structure, the openness of a cultured person of the Renaissance; also the style flows harmoniously and fluidly, carefully decorated, with musical clauses, according to the lesson of the beautiful writing taught by Bembo.
Jerome Miani becomes almost an “alter ego” of the Anonymous, a projection of the human and Christian values that the author dreams of; he presents an heir of ancient values, a descendant of a Roman family, the Emilianis, a teacher who emulates and surpasses Plato and Aristotle in the ability to educate and instruct.
Even the three biographical examples, very detailed and almost anomalous in a profile traced in broad terms, confirm that Jerome is seen as a model of humanity, of holiness: Paolo Giustiniani, writer and holy monk humanist, appreciates the domain and the calm of the Miani in the face of insults; a friend finds him sick in a bad hospital and Jerome tells him the coordinates of his life, “to live and die with the poor”; one of his acquaintance, perhaps a child, dreams of apotheosis and the throne in the heavens, with a child who holds a written in hand: “This is the Jerome Miani’s throne”.
Venetian component
The Venetian style can be seen in the whole profile from the title to the conclusion. Jerome is a Venetian Nobleman, the story of his life is written from “a Venetian to a Venetian” and addressed to young and old Venetians, so that they can learn through the example of one of their compatriots and nobles may learn to what purpose they should direct their efforts; Jerome was prayed by the writer, because what is written was emendation of the bad persons and perfection of the good ones. The free republic of Venice never knewanother Lord than Christ;Venice must even now know by what thoughts and works the name of Christian is considered. Venice is exalted for the beauty of the place, for the multitude of peoples and for the splendor of the buildings, for its ancient and free empire, for his nobles.
Jerome is nurtured and brought up in the bosom of the republic, he defended his homeland in war by exercising the equestrian militia; his spiritual director is an honored Venetian Regular Canon. ln Venice there is more than in any other city in Italy good living during the time of famine. Jerome is a precious gem, a rich asset, a bright sun that, starting from Venice, must radiate elsewhere its light and its value; he is still the Venetian nobleman garbed in rustic dress who teaches a new nobility according to the Gospel; returning to Venice he passes by to visit the old friends. To conclude, the life of Jerome Miani is “written in Venice under the happy government of the most learned and valiant Andrea Griti, Most Serene Prince of Venice”.
Aristocratic component
Venice is an aristocratic republic. The Anonymous expresses his pride of being a noble patrician, exalting his own social class, the class that has made the glory and the history of Venice.
Jerome is presented as belonging to a noble family, the Emilianis,departed from Rome at the time of the Goths along with many other families, and come to Venice; unfortunately the common people, always the foolish interpreter of things, has mangled their name into Miani. Due to their antiquity, the Mianis belong to the “de jure” nobility, they are an “old” family. The greatness of a family is also measured by the number of offices held in the State and in the Church. The Mianis can not boast doges and cardinals, however in their house there have been prelates and not a few senators, who have reached government posts in the Republic, who with wise counseling have brought to it illustrious fame. The Venetian nobility is for the most part a mercantile nobility, not a feudal one; the Mianis also carry out the merchandise of wool.
Jeromeis nurtured and brought up in the bosom of the republic, that is he follows the mentality, the cursus honorum of the nobles; his upbringing is patrician even on a cultural level: he can hold conversation with his equals. From the age of 25 onwards he is a member of the Maggior Consiglio in which he regularly participates and wears the proper dress of the nobles, the black toga.
The Anonymous feels the need to report the detachment of Jerome from the political life, from his merchantile job, from his noble dress.
After the conversion and now dedicated to works of charity, Jerome neglects to go to the Council and turns the care of the republic into the care of his soul and the desire for the heavenly homeland. It then leaves the elder grandson the business of wool, giving him an excellently account for every thing. To make himself even outwardly similar to the poor he lays the civilian attire, a long robe with closed sleeves called elbow-sleeve robe and wears a thick cloth, heavy shoes and a short cloak. The Anonymous emphasizes that, with his life dedicated to the poor, Jerome realizes another nobility, that one of the Gospel; almost with amazement he contemplates this Venetian nobleman in rustic dress who lives in the company of other poor people who follow his ideal: it would be better to call them “noblemen according to the holy Gospel”.
Component of friendship
As well as writing from a Venetian to a Venetian, the Anonymous declares to write “from a friend to a friend”, because Jerome loved him as much in his life as he was not worthy. He was able to live for a long time with Messer Jerome. They have common friends both in Venice (Paolo Giustiniani)and in Milan where the Miani, lying sick in a shelter of fortune, is met by a person related to both by ties of deep friendship (Domenico Sauli). After all Jerome does not lack friendships: he is very gracious in keeping them, that is kind and generous in reciprocating, affectionate and benevolent in making them.
They spent time first in San Rocco, then at the Incurabili. Here they appear as intimate spiritual confidant, sharing holy reasonings and weeping together for the desire for the heavenly fatherland. Jerome shows him the work of his hand, the groups of children, identifying each in his temperament, the leaders, the father who confesses them, his bed.
When Jerome returns to Venice in 1535 he passes by to visit his friend, often they were together again and the Miani fills him with so many holy memories and so much Christian hope that they are still resounding in his mind.
We are in front of a dear biographic memory, written in one go, with great emotional tension. A tint of strong affection and the right pride for the friendship of such a man color the whole story.
The Anonymous, who deeply knows Jerome’s soul, aims to the heart of events, to the inner resonance that certain choices had in his friend’s soul, avoiding a chronicle exposition. The biography proceeds in this way, also stylistically, by means of qualitative advancements, by means of decisions that affect the behavior, as Jerome interprets in the events the sign of the will of God. Then he remembers quickly, reconstructing the outer and inner life of his friend, the story of his family, his upbringing, his youth and military service, the post-conflict events, his conversion, his holy thoughts, his custody of the body and emendation of the costumes, the great famine of 1528, the Christian holy works, the disease from which suddenly has healed, his abandonment of civilian life, his activities of charity in Venice, his mission of charity in Lombardy, the reunion of lay people, priests, poor in holy communities, his return to Venice, his death.
Celebratory – liturgical component
The Anonymous has a certainty: Jerome is an extraordinary man, a hero of his time, a saint; for this reason he wants to weave the story of his holy life and of his death. In the introductory chapter he prays that blessed and friendly soul who loved him so much when in his mortal body, now, he believes, ascended to heaven, may help him by his prayers. The conclusion is the mirror image of the beginning: Jerome leaves mortal life and goes to enjoy the eternal one, “which, we hope, the Lord in His goodness will grant to us. Amen”.
The biographical memory is written with a patina of liturgical and ecclesiastical style, with various evangelical quotations, which highlight the conformity of Jerome to Christ, with an attitude of prayer: a panegyric, in the best sense of the term.
The component of the liturgy, of a liturgy become essence of life emerges in the story of the disease and the death of Jerome. He falls sick with the plague on Sunday, on the day the world calls Carnival, that the Church calls Quinquagesima, “struck very hard”, lives the communion of suffering with Christ and the other plague victims, returns his soul to his Maker, like Jesus on the cross, in a sacrificial attitude. Jerome achieved in life and in death the assimilation, the identification with Christ, victim and priest.
Component of the imitation of Christ
The whole journey of Jerome is marked, from the conversion onwards, by the imitation of Christ. He applies himself to imitate as much as possible his beloved master Christ; he is the new soldier who imitates his captain Jesus and gains heaven; in the school that he establishes, teaches the children how, imitating the holy life of Christ, the man becomes the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, the son and heir of God.
All the tale of Jerome’s conversion and asepsis is presented with clear references to the sublime book The Imitation of Christ, to the cathartic, illuminative and unitive life that it suggests. The feedbacks are punctual and precise for compunction, humility, mortification of gluttony, eyes and tongue, for the breakaway from idleness, for the amendment of defects one after the other, for the choice of friends, for patience in every adversity for love of Christ, for hate of oneself, for interior joy, for total trust in God, for contemplation and sequel of the Crucified, the royal path of perfection.
The path of holiness of Jerome according to the Anonymous opens and closes with the Crucified: at the beginning he weeps at the foot of the Crucified and begs him to be his savior and not judge; on his deathbed invites his acquaintance to follow the way of the Crucified. The synthesis of the Imitation of Christ is in these words: “nudus nudum Iesum sequi”, to follow naked (detached from everything), the naked Jesus.
Component of the Compagnia del Divino Amore
The spirituality of the Compagnia del Divino Amore, formed largely of lay people, very active in Venice from 1527 onwards, pervades the writing of the Anonymous, he too linked to this movement. Some stylistic signs are given:
- by the nickname “brother”, the way Jerome calls both the Anonymous and the friend who meets him while he lies ill;
- by the discipline of secrecy in consequence of which the author names neither himself nor the people who help Jerome, because their names are known to the Holy Spirit and written in the book of life.
A burning fire of charity burns Jerome with flames of divine love; the same bishops, the prelates can witness how the fire of divine love, the dilection of the neighbour and the desire for the salvation of souls he brought in Veneto and Lombardy.
The confreres of Divino Amore have an internal code of behavior, correspondence and above all spirituality, founded on emulation and mutual support in works of charity, on humility of heart, on total trust in God. For Jerome the Lord is the the only hope and the only refuge; he carries with him only a living faith in Christ, he affirms from experience that whoever follows the way of the Crucified and helps the poor will never be abandoned by God.
The death of Jerome, as well as an award for the his labors, is also an instruction to all his acquaintance, because, according to the spirituality of Divino Amore, they have no confidence in any man as much saint he is, but in God alone.
Component of the reform of the Church
Jerome’s apostolic and charitable activity in Veneto and Lombardy is presented by the Anonymous in the perspective of the reform of the Church. It is evident the missionary ardor of Miani who feels the urgency of his time and the wound of the community of believers. He feels a great displeasure for heresies and their authors; he affirms the usefulness of the good works and the profound charity to the poor and to those who have fallen in earthly needs, because they are able to recognize in their helpers the presence of God. If we keep in mind the violent social rebellion of peasants that took place with Lutheranism in Germany, bloody repressed by the same Protestant princes, we can intuit the theological and social value of Jerome’s affirmation. Of course he is not a revolutionary, nor a social agitator, but his humanism is not even paternalistic.
He really realizes a revolution with his life. The Anonymous, so pervaded with an aristocratic mentality, is amazed in front of this Venetian nobleman who has left all the privileges of his social class and garbed as a peasant, accompanied by many mendicants, or better, by reformed Christians and noblemen according to the holy Gospel, lives with the poor peasants and teaches the Christian life, sharing on their work, go through the countryside hoeing, cutting grain, eating sorghum bread. In this way the writer’s aversion explodes towards the parasitic aristocracy, insensitive to the needs of the poor, towards the great men, idle and fat, which spend their lives between games and feasts, in haughty palaces and gilded rooms without sharing their assets.
Jerome is a reformer not only for the works of charity, for having reorganized the aid activities of the hospitals, but also for the religious education imparted in a systematic way both to his children and to adults through the countryside, assisted by his children, practiced in the Christian life.
The many people, lay people, priests, poor gathered by Jerome in communities leading a holy Christian life and having poverty as a friend, are defined by the Anonymous “reformed Christians”. He who has wanted to write as “a Christian to a Christian,” as well as a friend to a friend and a Venetian to a Venetian, has seen concretely realized in Jerome the desire of the best Christians of his time, a Christian life Reformed according the holy Gospel.
The synthesis of Jerome
In the life written by the Anonymous, some perspectives under which the writer wanted to present the Jerome’s portrait have been highlighted, preferring a stylistic analysis. Of course he has made with his life, his intelligence, his heart, his choices and his holiness, a very personal summary.
Jerome is the man that converted totally to Christ, up to be assimilated to Him in prayer, in the life of faith, in the apostolic action when he sees that the Christian flock is like a flock without a shepherd, in the prediction of his death: (“let me go, because ina little while, neither you nor anyone else will see me”), in his testament to his companions, exhorted to mutual love, in giving back the spirit to God. It is a love for Christ pervaded by the spirit of penance, poverty, work, heart humility, meekness, kindness towards the poor.
This is the spirituality of a lay converted, who feels the need to act very strongly, the need to do something good for the poor in every time. He feels the universal father of them, with them he wishes to live and to die.
Fr. Giuseppe Oddone