Saint Scholastica, Woman of Prayer

"I made a request of you, and you would not listen; I asked my God and he heard me. Leave me now if you can, and return to your monastery. ..." - Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great, Book Two

I can almost see St. Benedict: he wasn't pleased with his sister's antics. For a guy who wrote the Rule for his monks to observe, and who placed much emphasis on the ability of the Abbot to lead by example, this was not a simple situation for Benedict. What would his monks say? Monks are not allowed to spend the night outside the monastery, and he (Benedict) gave them that rule.

But, guess what? God has a wicked sense of humor. On this particular night, he (God) has Scholastica as his accomplice. Out of the clear sky, out of nowhere, a storm ensued making it impossible for Benedict to return to his monastery, hence Scholastica taunts him as quoted in the opening verse. That meeting was important, because 3 days later St. Scholastica died, and St. Benedict, standing in his cell in his monastery saw the soul of his sister going to heaven in the form of a dove. What a beautiful symbol for this holy Bride of Christ.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Scholastica, the twin sister of St. Benedict. For us in the Benedictine family, this is a great feast. We know very little about the life of St. Scholastica. In fact the little we know is in relation with St. Benedict.

Even though we know very little about Scholastica, the little we know from this one story as told by Pope St. Gregory the Great illustrates a woman of great faith, who as St. Gregory puts it "did more because she loved more".

Today we ask for the intercession of St. Scholastica, not only for the Benedictine Men and Women religious around the world, but for all disciples of Christ. We are called to love, and as we respond to Christ's love for us, we are empowered to be agents of God's will.

Happy Feast of St. Scholastica!

You can read the full story here

Universal Call to Holiness

 

Attaining holiness or perfection, is a life-long vocation to which everyone is called, not only priests and religious.  Out of the Vatican Council II came the term "Universal Call to Holiness", written in the document Lumen Gentium, on life in the Church.  However prior to the Council, St. Paul wrote to the new Christians: "Before the world was made, he chose us in Christ to be holy and spotless and to live through love in his  presence, determining that we should become his adopted children through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes."
 (Ep 1:4-5)
So from the beginning we were meant to be sharers in the divine holiness.  In the book of Leviticus we read:
      " For it is I, Yahweh, who am your God.  You have been sanctified and have become holy because I am holy....Yes, it is I, Yahweh, who have brought you out of Egypt to by your God; you, therefore, must be holy because I am holy."  (Lv 11:44-45) 
This was God's whole purpose in creating us:
       "Be holy in all you do, since it is the Holy One who has called you.  As Scripture says: 'Be holy for I am holy.'"   (1 Peter 1:15-16)
This is a process of change, "metanoia", from doing the "should nots" to doing the "holy".  What this does is it brings God into ourselves, and takes out sin.
Until next time, let us think about this "call" and  look for the sanctifying action of the Holy Spirit within us as we strive on this path to holiness (perfection).    --Sr. Carole Ann Clark, OSB



Welcome to the Monastery Vine, a blog by Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Norfolk, NE

Ever wondered what the Missionary Benedictine Sisters at the Immaculata Monastery and Spirituality Center do. Maybe you have even wondered about who these Sisters are. Maybe you have run into them around town, maybe in Walmart, or even read about them somewhere in the media. There is so much about the Sisters that maybe you don't know. Well, this blog is here to introduce the Sisters and what they do.

The Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Norfolk, Nebraska are part of an international community of Benedictine religious women who work throughout the world to bring the good news of Christ to people. Currently, the Missionary Benedictine Sisters work in 19 countries on 5 continents.

What ministries to the Missionary Benedictine Sisters do? Well, the Missionary Benedictine Sisters serve the Church wherever there is need. In other words, the Sisters do whatever needs to be done to bring Christ to the people. To this end, the Sisters are engaged in education, healthcare services, social work, and evangelization. In all of these ministries, the Sisters strive to share the love of God and make the world a better place for everyone within their reach.

We welcome you to learn more about the Missionary Benedictine Sisters as you read through these various blog articles. The blogs will be about various topics including "The Universal Call to Holiness", "Day-to-Day Events in the Monastery", "Benedict Outside the Monastery-the witness of a Benedictine Oblate", and "Reflection on Solemnities and Feasts".

We hope you will be blessed and will find God as you read through these blogs. God bless you all and "May He bring us all alike to everlasting life" (Rule of Benedict Chapter 72)