St Scholastica
Today we celebrate the memory of St Scholastica, sister of the Patriarch St Benedict and a patron of Benedictine nuns. Many of the saints had a close friendships with other men and women of God – we think of St John of the Cross and St Teresa of Avila, or St Francis de Sales and St Jane de Chantal – but the relationship of St Benedict with his earthly sister is especially touching. With them, the ties of flesh were united to ties of supernatural grace.
Once a year it was her custom to visit her brother and spend the day in ‘the praises of God and holy conversation.’ Then they would eat together and depart for their respective monasteries. On one occasion, St Scholastica begged her brother to stay with her the night so that they could ‘talk till morning on the joys of heaven’ but St Benedict was eager to follow the Rule and return to his house. At this, his sister prayed to God and immediately a huge storm erupted, which forced St Benedict to stay with his sister. ‘What have you done?,’ her brother exclaimed in amazement, to which she replied: ‘I asked a favour of you and you refused it. I asked it of God, and he has granted it.’ And, according to the account of St Gregory, they stayed up all night ‘delighting each other with their questions and answers about the secrets of the spiritual life.’ It was indeed providential – three days later St Scholastica died at her convent and, at the moment of her death, St Benedict saw the soul of his sister going up to heaven in the form of a dove and praised God.
For the University of Oxford, the day has less happy connotations - a riot was caused by a dispute between town and gown in the Swindlestock Tavern (on the site where Abbey National now stands) in 1355. In the fighting, 62 scholars lost their lives - click here for the full story.
Sancta virgo Scholastica, quasi hortus irriguus
Gratiarum coelestium jugi rore perfundebatur!
Gratiarum coelestium jugi rore perfundebatur!
[The holy virgin Scholastica, like a watered garden
Was enriched with the ceaseless dew of heaven's graces]
posted by Fr Nicholas at 9:16 am
2 Comments:
Choosing the right perfume can be difficult and because it is also considered an intimate gift buying the wrong perfume can backfire on you and get you the opposite result of that which you hoped for.
The first thing you need to do is do some homework, meaning research. Look at your lady's perfume bottles, the ones that are nearly empty will be her favorites. If there is one there that is nearly full chances are she doesn't wear it often or doesn't like it. Hint around and ask her what types of fragrances she likes and dislikes.
Humans are very sensory oriented and our sense of smell is no different. Certain perfumes can elicit strong reactions in both the wearer and the person reacting to the scent. Perfumes are made not only to attract but to also relax someone. If you aren't totally sure what kind of perfume to buy you can always play it safe and get something in the aromatherapy line. If you go this route, bear in mind that vanilla scents are considered to relax and a peppermint or lemon scent will be more stimulating.
we think of St John of the Cross and St Teresa of Avila, or St Francis de Sales and St Jane de Chantal
We could add St. Francis and St. Clare and St. Walburga and St. Boniface (another pair of holy siblings), and many more to that list. . .
Holy complimentarity!
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