This Note may prompt him to visit this Trastevery Chapel.
Churches of Rome Wiki Santi Benedetto e Scholastica
SAINT
SCHOLASTICA FEAST 10 February
First
Reading 1 Cor 7:25-40
Second
Reading.
From the
Dialogues of Saint Gregory the Great
(Lib. 2, 33: PL 66,194-196)
Once a year Scholastica, the
sister of Saint Benedict, who had been dedicated to God from her youth, used
to visit her brother. The man of God would go down to meet her in a house belonging
to the monastery not far from the gate.
One day she paid her usual
visit and her brother joined her with some disciples. They spent the whole day
praising God and talking of sacred things, and then, as the light began to fail,
they had a meal together. Their conversation went on till quite late, and the
nun said to her brother: "Please do not leave me tonight: let us go on
until morning talking about the joys of heaven." "Whatever are you saying,
sister?" he replied. "I cannot possibly stay out of the monastery."
At her brother's refusal, the
nun joined her hands on the table, laid her head on them and prayed to almighty
God. As soon as she raised her head, a violent storm broke out with thunder and
lightning, and such a downpour of rain that Saint Benedict, and the brethren accompanying
him, could not set foot outside the door of the place where they had been sitting.
In his distress, the man of God began to remonstrate with her: "God forgive you, sister," he said.
"What have you done?" She replied: "I asked you, but you would not listen; I asked my God and he did
listen. Set off now, if you can: leave me and return to your monastery."
But now he who would not remain
of his own free will had to do so against his will; and so it happened that
they spent the whole night talking together about spiritual things to their
mutual benefit. That the woman should have prevailed over the man is not surprising,
for since, as Saint John says, God is love,
it was only right that the one who loved more should be able to achieve more.
Three days after this, as
the man of God was standing in his cell looking up at the sky, he saw his
sister's soul, in the form of a dove, leave her body and enter the gates of
heaven. He rejoiced at her great glory, thanking God with hymns of praise. Then
he sent brethren to bring her body to the monastery and place it in the tomb
he had prepared for himself.
So it came about that just
as their hearts had always been united in God, so also their bodies shared a
common grave.
Monastic Lectioary.
Translations; friends of Henry Ashworth 1991.
Among the selection
of five Readings of St Scholastica Feast, I prefered St Gregory Great and the
Ashworth translation.
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----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Nivard -----------
Sent: Wed, 9 February, 2011 17:12:29
Subject: ScholasticaMARK 7:14-23 (Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17; Psalm 104)
KEY VERSE: "Do you realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile" (v 18).
From: Nivard -----------
Sent: Wed, 9 February, 2011 17:12:29
Subject: ScholasticaMARK 7:14-23 (Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17; Psalm 104)
KEY VERSE: "Do you realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile" (v 18).
Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre.
During Vigils Isaac of Stella reminded us that to hate sin and to repent is to meet Christ. Why? Because sorrow for sin and repentance is not possible without God’s grace. “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness and his wondrous deeds to the children of men!” Indeed, if it is by his grace that he visibly withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon where this woman could encounter him, it is also by grace that he secretly drew the woman from her most interior dwelling place...
This woman symbolizes the Church. The Church was eternally predestined, called and justified in time. She is destined for glory at the end of time. She prays without ceasing for her daughter, which is to say for all the elect, you and me.
This woman symbolizes the Church. The Church was eternally predestined, called and justified in time. She is destined for glory at the end of time. She prays without ceasing for her daughter, which is to say for all the elect, you and me.
- Today we have the Memorial of St Scholastica, the sister of St Benedict. Our Benedictine Brothers and Sisters will be celebrating her feast in style as she deserves.
- Our Reading at Vigils, Office of Readings, was very good. It was based on Pope St Gregory's 'Life of St Benedict'. Here is the paragraph that tickled my ear, (woke me up!).
- Once the heavy rain started, Benedict, who would not remain of his own free will had to do so against his will. So they spent the whole night talking together about spiritual things to their mutual benefit. That the woman should have prevailed over the man is not surprising, for since, as St John says, God is love, it was only right that the one who loved more should be able to achieve more by her prayer and tears.
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