The Order of Saint Benedict

Saint Scholastica

Virgin and Religious Founder

Twin Sister of Benedict

Feast: 10 February

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: Of a Miracle Wrought by his Sister, Scholastica.

GREGORY: Who is there, Peter, in this world, that is in greater favor with God than St. Paul was: who yet three times desired our Lord to be delivered from the sting of the flesh, and obtained not his petition? Concerning which point also I must needs tell you, how there was one thing which the venerable father Benedict would have done, and yet he could not. For his sister called Scholastica, dedicated from her infancy to our Lord, used once a year to come and visit her brother. To whom the man of God went not far from the gate, to a place that did belong to the Abbey, there to give her entertainment. Image from Subiaco

And she coming thither on a time according to her custom, her venerable brother with his monks went to meet her, where they spent the whole day in the praises of God and spiritual talk: and when it was almost night they supped together, and as they were yet sitting at the table, talking of devout matters, and darkness came on, the holy Nun his sister entreated him to stay there all night, that they might spend it in discoursing of the joys of heaven. But by no persuasion would he agree to that, saying that he might not by any means tarry all night out of his Abbey.

At that time, the sky was so clear that no cloud was to be seen. The Nun, receiving this denial of her brother, joining her hands together, laid them upon the table: and so, bowing down her head upon them, she made her prayers to almighty God: and lifting her head from the table, there fell suddenly such a tempest of lightning and thundering, and such abundance of rain, that neither venerable Benedict, nor his monks that were with him, could put their head out of door: for the holy Nun, resting her head upon her hands, poured forth such a flood of tears upon the table, that she drew the clear air to a watery sky, so that after the end of her devotions, that storm of rain followed: and her prayer and the rain did so meet together, that as she lifted up her head from the table, the thunder, so that in one and the very same instant, she lifted up her head and brought down the rain.

The man of God, seeing that he could not by reason of such thunder and lightning and great abundance of rain return back to his Abbey, he began to be heavy and to complain of his sister, saying: "God forgive you, what have you done?" to whom she answered: "I desired you to stay, and you would not hear me, I have desired our good Lord, and he hath vouchsafed to grant my petition: wherefore if you can now depart, in God's name return to your monastery, and leave me here alone."

Departure Delayed

But the good father, being not able to go forth, tarried there against his will, where willingly he would not stay. And so by that means they watched all night, and with spiritual and heavenly talk did mutually comfort one another: and therefore by this we see, as I said before. that he would have had that thing, which yet he could not: for if we respect the venerable man's mind, no question but he would have had the same fair weather to have continued as it was, when he set forth, but he found that a miracle did prevent his desire, which, by the power of almighty God, a woman's prayers had wrought.

It is not a thing to be marvelled at, that a woman which of long time had not seen her brother, might do more at that time than he could, seeing, according to the saying of St. John, "God is charity" [1 John 4:8] and therefore of right she did more which loved more.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: How Benedict Saw the Soul of his Sister Ascend into Heavenly Glory.

The next day the venerable woman returned to her Nunnery, and the man of God to his Abbey: who three days after, standing in his cell, raising up his eyes to heaven, beheld the soul of his sister (which was departed from her body), in the likeness of a dove to ascend into heaven: who rejoicing much to see her great glory, with hymns and lauds gave the almighty God, and did impart the news of this her death to his monks, whom also he sent presently to bring her corpse to his Abbey, and had it buried in that grave which he had provided for himself; by means whereof it fell out that, as their souls were always one in God whiles they lived, so their bodies continued together after their death.

Notes

Deus, qui beátae Vírginis tuæ Scholásticæ ánimam ad ostendéndam [innocéntiæ viam in colúmbæ spécie cælum penetráre fecísti: da nobis eius méritis et précibus ita innocénter vivere; ut ad ætérna mereámur gáudia perveníre. Per Dóminum.]

Prayer: O God, to show us where innocence leads, you made the soul of your virgin Saint Scholastica soar to heaven like a dove in flight. Grant through her merits and her prayers that we may so live in innocence as to attain to joys everlasting. This we ask through our Lord.

-- Saint Scholastica was the abbess of Plumbariola, the first "Benedictine" convent.

-- Santa Scolastica, Subiaco, is the site of the first printing press in Italy, established there in 1463. The monastery is at the foot of the hill that supports the cave to which Saint Benedict withdrew. Another monastery, del Sacro Speco, protects and surrounds the sacred shrine of the Benedictines near the summit.

Related Resources

"Saint Scholastica and Saint Benedict: a paradox, a paradigm" by Sister Jane Morrissey SSJ, 1991 (Mirror of Saints, Julia Bolton Holloway, 1991, 1997).

The Monastic Liturgy Forum. Scholastica Project: provisional texts appropriate to Saint Scholastica.

Norris, Kathleen and Tomie dePaola. The Holy Twins: Benedict and Scholastica (Putnam's, 2001). Based on St. Gregory's Dialogues, written and illustrated for children, a delight for adults.

St. Benedict's Parish, Baltimore, MD, -- the priests come from St. Vincent Archabbey -- offers a nicely illustrated, brief life of St. Scholastica.

Illustrations used for educational purposes only: Bibliotheque National de France, Pope Saint Gregory I, ms. miniatur (© BNF). Philip Hagreen (disciple of Eric Gill), "S. Scholastica," from the Saint John's Abbey collection. Monastero Santa Scolastica, Subiaco, Italy- miniature illustrating the collect for the Feast of Saint Scholastica in a fourteenth century liturgical manuscript (© Copyright 1995 by S. Scolastica; riproduzione vietata; all rights reserved).