Today is the Feast of Saint Scholastica, the twin sister of Saint Benedict, who prayed and labored alongside him in 5-6th century Italy as they established religious foundations from which emerged a new Christian civilization out of the ruins of Roman Empire. Happy feast day!
Michael Andrews is the Chancellor of the Diocese of Lansing. A married father of two, he is also a Benedictine Oblate. That is, someone whose day-to-day life in the secular world is informed by Benedictine spirituality as guided by the Rule of Saint Benedict. So why should we know, revere and venerate Saint Scholastica? Here is what Michael has to say:
“For me, Saint Scholastica is a sign of two fundamental realities: faith and family. From the story of her spiritual conversation with her brother, Saint Benedict, we get a glimpse of how deeply they supported each other in their call to holiness. Sometimes it’s easy to think exclusively about parents sharing their faith with their children, but the unique, irreplaceable bond between siblings can also be deepened by God’s grace and be a tremendous help in following Christ. I think of the enthusiasm of Saint Andrew in introducing his brother, Simon Peter, to Jesus, or the missionary journeys of the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius, or the bonds between Saint Therese and her sisters.”
“This ‘family spirit’ comes through strongly in the writings of Saint Benedict. At the heart of the Rule of Saint Benedict is the principle of living together in God’s love. The home is the basic cell of Christian society: a place of prayer, work, study and sharing life together. This is the model that Saint Benedict looked to as he established an order based on listening to God’s word, stability and conversion of life. Saint Scholastica and Saint Benedict helped each other to see God at work within the ordinary events of everyday life.”
Saint Scholastica, pray for us!