From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   God gives us supernatural joy with hope in his promises   
      
       There is a certain paradox for those "blessed" by the Lord. Mary   
   was given the "blessedness" of being the mother of the Son of God.   
   That blessedness also would become a sword which pierced her heart as   
   her Son died upon the cross. Anselm, a great teacher and Archbishop of   
   Canterbury (1033-1109), spoke these words in a homily: "Without God's   
   Son nothing could exist; without Mary's son, nothing could be   
   redeemed."  To be chosen by God is an awesome privilege and   
   responsibility. Mary received both a crown of joy and a cross of   
   sorrow. Her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because it was fueled   
   by her faith, hope, and trust in God and his promises.   
       Jesus promised his disciples that "no one will take your joy from   
   you" (John 16:22). The Lord gives us a supernatural joy which enables   
   us to bear any sorrow or pain and which neither life nor death can   
   take away. Do you know the joy of a life given over to God in faith   
   and trust?   
      
   ===============   
   February 10th - Saint Scholastica   
      
   For some reason sibling saints have always fascinated me. A few cited   
   in the Gospels: just to mention a couple, the brothers James and John   
   and the brother and sister trio of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Perhaps   
   sanctity runs in certain families? Well, it certainly can't hurt to   
   have a brother, sister, father or mother who is a saint. I believe the   
   family of St. Basil, considered the greatest of the Greek Fathers of   
   the Church, holds the record with six saints beside him. There were:   
   St. Macrina, his grandmother; St. Basil the Elder, his father; St.   
   Emmelia, his mother; St. Macrina the Younger, his sister; St. Gregory   
   of Nyssa and St. Peter of Sebaste, his brothers. Apparently I'm not   
   the only one fascinated by sibling saints. There is a book called   
   "Families Who Followed the Lord: Brother and Sister Saints" (now out   
   of print) written by Fr. Martin Harney, S.J. What about twins? Have   
   you ever heard of twin saints? I know of one such saintly pair.   
      
   St. Scholastica was the twin sister of St. Benedict. They were born   
   around 480 to a Roman noble family in Nursia, a small town near   
   Spoleto, Italy. Very little is know about the life of St. Scholastica.   
   Her brother is much better known as he became the Patriarch of Western   
   Monasticism. His life was written by Pope Saint Gregory the Great.   
   Scholastica seems to have consecrated her life to God from her   
   earliest youth as Pope Gregory mentions, "She had been dedicated from   
   her infancy to Our Lord." The mother died at their birth. When   
   Benedict was old enough he left home to study in Rome leaving   
   Scholastica with her father to tend the Nursian estate.   
      
   At about 17 years of age Benedict left Rome to live a solitary life,   
   first in Enfide in the Savine Mountains and then in a cave near   
   Subiaco. Soon his sanctity attracted disciples and he established   
   several monasteries for them. The greatest of all was Monte Cassino,   
   founded by Benedict in 529, where he wrote his monastic rule and died   
   in 543.   
      
   When Scholastica learned of her brother's total dedication to the   
   Lord, she determined to follow his example. It is not certain that she   
   became a nun immediately, but it is generally supposed that she lived   
   for some time in a community of pious virgins. I talked to a   
   Benedictine nun at St. Scholastica Priory, appropriately enough, near   
   our monastery. She said, "The tradition of St. Scholastica as a nun   
   dates from the 11th century. Before that she was considered a devout   
   and holy woman who lived in the vicinity of Monte Cassino." Some   
   biographers believe she eventually founded a monastery of nuns there.   
   The brother and sister communities were about five miles apart. St.   
   Benedict seems to have directed his sister and her nuns.   
      
   After Benedict's initial help with forming his sister's community, his   
   contact with her was limited. St. Gregory tells us that St.   
   Scholastica "used to come once a year to visit her brother." (Book II   
   of the Dialogues of St. Gregory) This once-a-year meeting took place   
   at a house situated halfway between the two communities. Benedict went   
   in company with some of his brethren to meet her at this house. These   
   visits were spent in conferring together on spiritual matters.   
      
   A delightful story is told of such a visit three days before   
   Scholastica's death on a clear day. They passed the time as usual in   
   prayer and pious conversation. Scholastica begged her brother to stay   
   the night, but he refused. She then joined her hands together, laid   
   them on the table and bowed her head upon them in supplication to God.   
   When she lifted her head from the table, immediately there arose such   
   a storm that neither Benedict nor his monks could leave.   
      
   "Seeing that he could not return to his abbey because of such thunder   
   and lightning and great abundance of rain, the man of God became sad   
   and began to complain to his sister, saying, 'God forgive you, what   
   have you done?'   
      
   "'I wanted you to stay, and you wouldn't listen,' she answered. 'I   
   have asked our good Lord, and He graciously granted my request, so if   
   you can still depart, in God's name return to your monastery, and   
   leave me here alone.'" (ibid) St. Benedict had no choice but to stay   
   and speak to his sister all night long about spiritual matters   
   including Heaven.   
      
   Three days later in the year 543, in a vision Benedict saw the soul of   
   his sister, departed from her body and in the likeness of a dove,   
   ascend into heaven. He rejoiced with hymns and praise giving thanks to   
   God. His monks brought her body to his monastery and buried it in the   
   grave that he had provided for himself. St. Benedict followed her soon   
   after and was buried in the same grave with his sister, "So death did   
   not separate the bodies of these two, whose minds had ever been united   
   in the Lord."   
      
   http://www.monksofadoration.org/scholas.html   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   We do not very often come across opportunities for exercising   
   strength, magnanimity, or magnificence; but gentleness, temperance,   
   modesty, and humility, are graces which ought to color everything we   
   do. There may be virtues of a more exalted mold, but... these are the   
   most continually called for in daily life.   
   --François de Sales   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   Let nothing be done through contention, neither by vain glory: but in   
   humility, let each esteem others better than themselves:  (Philippians   
   2:3)   
      
      
   <><><><>   
   Canticle Apocalypse 11   
      
   The Judgement   
      
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)