Today happens to mark the feast day of one of my favourite saints, namely St Scholastica - the twin sister of St Benedict of Nursia. I wrote about this holy woman last year, and those who might be interested in reading about her life might wish to follow this link to that post (here). As we celebrate this saint's life, it's good to remember all contemplative women, nuns and devoted sisters. I will offer my Communion today for my own sister and for my godmother - who happens to be a nun.
One of my favourite stories from the lives of the saints involves St Scholastica. It tells of her great love for her brother, and how she won favour with God through being so devoted to her sibling. In fact, her simple desire to spend time with one who so occupied her heart and mind moved Heaven to perform a little miracle. Here is a part of that story, from the blog post I wrote last year (with apologies for repeating myself)...
A few days before St Scholastica’s death, she went to visit Benedict for their annual conference. Being a woman she couldn’t enter the abbey, so they would meet in one of the outbuildings owned by the monks. St Gregory tells us that, “They spent the whole day in the praises of God and spiritual talk, and when it was almost night, they dined together.” As the clear night descended St Benedict prepared to leave for the monastery – for he never spent a night away from its compounds. St Scholastica, possibly sensing her need to spend as much time with her brother as possible, begged him to stay with her, that they might spend the whole night talking about the blessings and joys of Heaven. There was no changing Benedict’s mind, though – he insisted that he must depart for the sake of his brethren. Out of sheer desperation the holy woman:“…hearing this denial of her brother, joined her hands together, laid them on the table, bowed her head on her hands, and prayed to almighty God.”Within minutes a most frightening storm broke out across the sky, and such a torrential rain began to pour that St Benedict was unable even to put his head “…out of doors.” St Scholastica’s tears transformed the sky into rain, thus making it nigh on impossible for the poor monk to leave for home! St Gregory goes on to remark:
“The man of God, seeing that he could not, in the midst of such thunder and lightning and great abundance of rain return to his Abbey, began to be heavy and to complain to his sister, saying: "God forgive you, what have you done!" She answered him, "I desired you to stay, and you would not hear me; I have desired it of our good Lord, and he has granted my petition. Therefore if you can now depart, in God's name return to your monastery, and leave me here alone. But the good father, not being able to leave, tarried there against his will where before he would not have stayed willingly. By that means, they watched all night and with spiritual and heavenly talk mutually comforted one another.”Thus, St Scholastica managed to thwart St Benedict’s will – by pouring her heart before God. The holy Pope Gregory puts it so well with the following words:“Therefore, by this we see, as I said before, that he would have had one thing, but he could not effect it. For if we know the venerable man's mind, there is no question but that he would have had the same fair weather to have continued as it was when he left his monastery. He found, however, that a miracle prevented his desire. A miracle that, by the power of almighty God, a woman's prayers had wrought. Is it not a thing to be marveled at, that a woman, who for a long time had not seen her brother, might do more in that instance than he could? She realized, according to the saying of St. John, "God is charity". Therefore, as is right, she who loved more, did more.”
[Picture note: Top left: St Scholastica Woodcut from the Nuremberg Chronicle, c. 1493; source: Wikimedia Commons (here). Bottom left: St Scholastica's last conference with St Benedict. An Illustration by Jeanne Kerremans from L'Admirable Légende de Saint Benoit (Bruges, 1948)]
1 comments:
Thank you. It is good to see someone honouring St. Scholastica. I usually read this story from the Breviary at Mass on this day. I didn't do it this morning because I wanted to preach on the Gospel of the day, so it was nice to see you telling the story.
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