February 10 is the feast of St. Scholastica.
Little is known of life of St. Benedict’s twin sister Scholastica. We do know that at some point in her life she was the leader of a religious community for women.
According to the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great, the brother and sister would meet yearly at a small house midway between their monasteries. On one occasion, as evening fell, Benedict packed up to return to his monastery because according to monastery rules he was not permitted to be away overnight. Scholastica begged him to make an exception and stay over so that they could continue their holy conversation. When Benedict refused, Scholastica prayed with heartfelt tears and immediately a torrent of rain fell. Because of the storm, Benedict had to stay the night and the siblings shared faith until morning.
Even though we know little about the life of St. Scholastica, from this one narrative we learn two valuable lessons.
First, we learn that our time spent with others, especially time spent in nurturing and supportive conversations is so important. Having virtuous relationships is essential to our Christian life.
Secondly, we learn that a deep prayer life is the way one finds closeness to God. When Scholastica was faced with disappointment, she went to prayer. She trusted in God’s providential love and kindness.
May we like St. Scholastica nurture life-giving relationships, and may we learn to rely on prayer, turning to God in all our needs.
St. Scholastica…pray for us!