Strictly speaking, one should not even rightly compare virginity to marriage because you cannot make a comparison between two things if one is good and the other evil.
St. JeromeRead
I am that prodigal son who wasted all the portion entrusted to me by my father. But I have not yet fallen at my father's knees. I have not yet begun to put away from me the enticements of my former riotous living.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the struggle of personal redemption and the acknowledgment of one's past mistakes.
St. Jerome's quote draws upon the biblical allegory of the prodigal son, symbolizing a journey of self-realization and the internal conflict of acknowledging past errors while resisting the temptations of a former, hedonistic lifestyle. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing one's shortcomings and the gradual process of seeking forgiveness and change.
Themes
RedemptionRepentanceSelf-AwarenessForgivenessTemptation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire personal reflections during a motivational speech about overcoming past mistakes.
More from St. Jerome
All quotes βThank God I am deemed worthy to be hated by the world.
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The Church was founded upon Peter: although elsewhere the same is attributed to all the Apostles, and they all receive the keys of the kingdom of heaven, the strength of the Church depends upon them all alike, yet one among the twelve is chosen so that when a head has been appointed, there may be no occasion for schism.
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Either we must speak as we dress, or dress as we speak. Why do we profess one thing and display another? The tongue talks of chastity, but the whole body reveals impurity.
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Beauty when unadorned is adorned the most.
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To ignore Scripture is to ignore Christ.
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