CrucisSt. Scholastica
St. Scholastica was born around 480 at Nursia (modern Norcia) in central Italy, the twin sister of St. Benedict, and died around 543. Consecrated to God from her youth, she embraced the monastic life and is regarded as the foundress of Benedictine women's monasticism, presiding over a community of nuns not far from her brother's great monastery of Monte Cassino.
The most beloved story of her life comes from the Dialogues of Pope St. Gregory the Great. Brother and sister met once a year for a day of holy conversation; at their last meeting, when Benedict rose to return to his monastery at nightfall, Scholastica, longing to speak on of God, prayed — and a sudden violent storm made his departure impossible, so that they conversed until morning. Gregory observes that 'she was able to do more because she loved more.' Three days later she died, and Benedict saw her soul rise to heaven in the form of a dove. Her feast is kept on 10 February.
Selected quotes
“Nothing is lost that is offered to God — even the moments we think wasted become grains of gold in His hands.”
“In solitude and silence, God teaches the soul what no book can convey.”
“The heart emptied of self-will is like a vessel prepared to receive — God fills what we have emptied.”