Saint Scholastica is being celebrated by Benedictines all over the world today, and we only know one story about her. In a nutshell, she and her brother met to talk and pray once a year; he tried to leave early and she prayed up a thunderstorm that caused him to stay. Thus he had to break his own Rule but she reminds him that Love is greater.
Love...That is what I remember from Scholastica's story. She Loved her brother so much that she wept for God to intercede. She Loved God so much that He happily sent an instant storm to keep her brother with her through the night (for God is Love). The siblings Loved God and their monastic families to such a degree, that they spent the time talking of God and other spiritual joys so each could return to their community enriched and refreshed to continue to minister in Love. Scholastica's story is about Love.
My story now needs to be about Love. I am far from community, but that doesn't mean that I cannot connect myself to them through Love (letters, e-mail, phone calls, and this blog). Through my education, I can prepare myself for ministry of Love to the community when I return. I can share this call to Love with the students, classmates, and professor with whom I share this day. Scholastica's story of Love continues in all of us...
My two favorite antiphons from our Liturgy of the Hours come from this feast...both were arranged by Sr. Jane. Each is set to a simple Plainchant Tone, but touches my heart. They speak to me of Scholastica's call to Love and be Loved by God and how it flowed over into her relationship with not only her brother Benedict, but all those in her life...my life.
"Love is a fire no waters avail to quench, no floods to drown it; those who love will give up all that they have in the world, and think nothing of their loss." Song of Songs 8:7
"Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one: Come, come my beloved! See that the winter, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. Come, come my beloved." Song of Songs
Blessings,
Love...That is what I remember from Scholastica's story. She Loved her brother so much that she wept for God to intercede. She Loved God so much that He happily sent an instant storm to keep her brother with her through the night (for God is Love). The siblings Loved God and their monastic families to such a degree, that they spent the time talking of God and other spiritual joys so each could return to their community enriched and refreshed to continue to minister in Love. Scholastica's story is about Love.
My story now needs to be about Love. I am far from community, but that doesn't mean that I cannot connect myself to them through Love (letters, e-mail, phone calls, and this blog). Through my education, I can prepare myself for ministry of Love to the community when I return. I can share this call to Love with the students, classmates, and professor with whom I share this day. Scholastica's story of Love continues in all of us...
My two favorite antiphons from our Liturgy of the Hours come from this feast...both were arranged by Sr. Jane. Each is set to a simple Plainchant Tone, but touches my heart. They speak to me of Scholastica's call to Love and be Loved by God and how it flowed over into her relationship with not only her brother Benedict, but all those in her life...my life.
"Love is a fire no waters avail to quench, no floods to drown it; those who love will give up all that they have in the world, and think nothing of their loss." Song of Songs 8:7
"Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one: Come, come my beloved! See that the winter, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. Come, come my beloved." Song of Songs
Blessings,
No comments:
Post a Comment