The Venerable Bede gives us a very sweet story in his account of the life of St. Scholastica, the first Benedictine nun. She and her twin brother, Benedict grew up very close. Their mother had prayed devoutly for children, but died during childbirth, which is a careful-what-you-wish-for story, but not the story I want to focus on.
After they had made their holy vows, they were permitted to reunite once a year, at which point they would happily talk about pleasant things like the joys of heaven. It might not sound like much, but it is better than getting together to complain about how strict the abbot is, how much Brother Whatsisname farts during compline, the thinness of the gruel or the fatness of the cook.
One year, Scholastica asked her brother if he and his fellow monks could spend the night at her abbey so that she and Benedict might talk more. He insisted that they had to leave because the Rule of the Monastery demanded that they be in. She prayed, and a violent thunderstorm rose; so great was the tempest that the monks were forced to remain where they were.
Benny: Oh sister, may God forgive you. What have you done.
Scholy: I asked you a favor and you said no. I asked God a favor and he granted it.
They stayed up all night talking about the joys of heaven. Three days later, Scholastica went to find out if they had been right.
No comments:
Post a Comment