Readings
I - Gen. 3: 1-8
II - Mk. 7: 31-37
SAINT SCHOLASTICA
Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Scholastica, the sister of St. Benedict. She consecrated her life to God from her earliest youth. She founded and governed a monastery of nuns at Plombariola, about five miles from that of the monastery of St. Benedict. St. Benedict directed his sister and the nuns of the monastery. Scholastica visited her brother once a year, and as she was not allowed to enter his monastery, she met him accompanied by his brothers at a house some distance away. The visits were spent in discussing together on spiritual matters. On one occasion they had passed the time as usual in prayer and spiritual conversation and in the evening they sat down to take their reflection, it became very late. Hence St. Scholastica requested her brother to remain with her until the next day but St. Benedict refused to oblige her request. She prayed to the Lord and suddenly there was a furious thunderstorm that allowed neither St. Benedict nor any of his companions to return home. St. Scholastica and his brother spent the night in discussing about the spiritual matters. The next morning they parted to meet no more on earth. Three days later St. Scholastica died, and her holy brother St. Benedict beheld her soul in a vision as it ascended into heaven. He sent his brothers of the monastery to bring her body and laid it in the tomb he had prepared for himself.
Today’s Gospel passage is about the healing of the hearing and speech impaired man. The people who brought him to Jesus pleaded to lay his hand on him for healing. The faith of those people brought healing to the person. We are impaired spiritually due to various reasons, pray that the Lord may lay his hands and rise us for a credible living like St. Scholastica whom we remember today. May the saint intercede for us as we keep repeating in the silence of our hearts: “St. Scholastica, Pray for us.”
