Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"
National Marriage Week
Saints: Saint Scholastica, twin sister of Saint Benedict (b. 480); The Shipwreck of Saint Paul celebrated as the birth of the Maltese Church
Readings of the Day
Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 8 The Divine Office at Night
Mass for Feast of St Scholastica: Songs 8:6-7; Resp Ps 148; Lk 10:38-42
Ferial Mass: 1 Kgs 11:4-13; Resp Ps 106; Mk 7:24-30
Young men and women too, old and young alike.
Let them all praise the Lord's name.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST MUST COME BEFORE ALL ELSE.
(Rule of Saint Benedict, 4:21)
Happy Feast of Saint Scholastica, "the learned woman", twin sister of Saint Benedict, "the blessed man." We pray especially for all Benedictines throughout the world, and in our country for members of the Federation of Saint Scholastica, for their spiritual and temporal welfare.
What we know about Saint Scholastica can be found in Book II of Saint Gregory the Great's (540-604) Dialogues, more specifically in Chapters 33 and 34. You can find the story in today's second reading from the Office of Readings, as well as on the Benedictine website www.osb.org. In short (kind of), the holy twins Scholastica and Benedict were engaged in their annual spiritual conversation, when "they spent the whole day praising God and talking of sacred things." After supper, Benedict announced that it was time for him to return to the monastery. Scholastica though, wanted her brother to stay, saying, "Please do not leave me tonight; let us go on until morning talking about the delights of the spiritual life." When her brother refused her request, Scholastica "joined her hands on the table, laid her head on them and began to pray." Just then lightning and thunder commenced and was joined by a torrential downpour. Since Benedict and the brethren accompanying him could not go back to their monastery, Benedict complained, "May God forgive you, sister. What have you done?" "Well," the learned woman answered, "I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and He did listen. So now go off, if you can, leave me and return to your monastery." Saint Gregory the Great goes on to comment on this exchange: "It is not surprising the she was more effective than he; since, as John says, God is love, it was absolutely right that she could do more, as she loved more."
Saint Gregory relates that three days later, when Benedict was in his cell, he saw his sister's soul leave her body in the form of a dove and fly to heaven. They were buried together in the end, and Saint Gregory would not know, at least in his earthly life, that the remains of the holy twins can now be found at the high altar of the reconstructed cathedral of Monte Cassino, the great Abbey in Italy. I have had the privilege of going there on several occasions.
Let us be about God is love and loving more this day. It is easy to say God is love but putting it into practice is easier said than done. Sadly, we all too often end up resounding like a gong or clashing like a cymbal. One could of course turn to Saint Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 13, and learn about what love is, and what love is not. Saint Paul is clear: "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated ... (1 Cor 13:1-13). However, we can always turn to the ever relevant and trusty Rule of Saint Benedict. If you are pressed for time, go directly to Chapter 4: The Tools for Good Works. There are several God is love tools for daily use. "First of all, love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul and all your strength, and love our neighbor as yourself ... honor everyone, help the troubled and console the sorrowing, guard your lips from harmful or deceptive speech, speak no foolish chatter, pray for your enemies out love for Christ, if you have a dispute with someone, make peace with her before the sun goes down ... (RB 4:1, 8, 18-19, 51, 53, 72-73).
Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may He bring us all together to everlasting life.
(Rule of Saint Benedict, 72:11-12)
SAINT SCHOLASTICA,
SAINT BENEDICT,
SAINT PAUL,
PRAY FOR US.
Today's photo: Still in the Beaver State, this painting comes courtesy of the Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel, OR. This painting of the holy twins was painted by Sister Protasia Schindler (1870-1959) and adorns the monastery refectory. Sister Protasia is not only honored for this and other fine works of art, but she is also honored for planting the Giant Sequioa that stands in front of the monastery. The story is that Sister Protasia found a seedling tree in front of the railroad tracks in 1893. She planted it in front of the monastery to give some life to the monastery grounds. Now recognized as a Mt. Angel landmark, the Giant Sequioa stands over 129 feet tall and was dedicated as an Oregon Heritage Tree on June 1, 2004. I was there for the dedication. It was a privilege. Praise the Lord from the heavens; give praise in the heights.
© Gertrude Feick 2022
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