.
Memoria
Ad Officium lectionis
Introductio
Soror sancti
Benedicti, nata est Nursiæ in Umbria, circa annum 480. Una cum fratre Deo se
devovit eumque secuta est Casinum, ubi mortua est circa annum 547.
Lectio altera
E libris Dialogórum sancti Gregórii Magni
papæ
(Lib. 2, 33: PL 66,
194-196)
Cumque inter sacra collóquia tárdior se hora protráheret, éadem
sanctimoniális fémina eum rogávit, dicens: «Quæso te, ut ista nocte me non déseras, ut usque mane áliquid de
cæléstis vitæ gáudiis loquámur».
Cui ille respóndit: «Quid est quod lóqueris, soror? manére extra cellam
nullátenus possum».
Sanctimoniális autem fémina, cum verba fratris negántis audísset,
insértas dígitis manus super mensam pósuit, et caput in mánibus omnipoténtem
Dóminum rogatúra declinávit.
Cumque leváret de mensa caput, tanta coruscatiónis et tonítrui virtus,
tantáque inundátio plúviæ erúpit, ut neque venerábilis Benedíctus, neque
fratres qui cum eo áderant, extra loci limen quo conséderant, pedem movére
potuíssent.
Tunc vir Dei cœpit cónqueri contristátus, dicens: «Parcat tibi omnípotens
Deus, soror: quid est quod fecísti?».
Cui illa respóndit: «Ecce rogávi te, et audíre me noluísti; rogávi Deum
meum, et audívit me. Modo ergo, si potes, egrédere, et me dimíssa ad
monastérium recéde».
Ter
inleiding
Scholastica was de zuster van de heilige Benedictus en werd omstreeks 480
te Nursia in Umbrië geboren. Samen met haar broer wijdde zij zich geheel aan
God. Zij volgde Benedictus naar Monte Cassino, waar zij omstreeks 547 stierf.
Tweede
lezing
Uit de Dialogen van de heilige paus
Gregorius de Grote († 604)
Zij die het meest liefhad, vermocht
het meest.
De zuster
van de heilige Benedictus, Scholastica, was vanaf haar prilste jeugd aan God
toegewijd. Zij had de gewoonte één keer per jaar haar broer te bezoeken. De man
Gods daalde dan af om haar te ontmoeten in een gebouwtje dat tot het klooster
behoorde.
Op zekere
dag, toen zij zoals gewoonlijk weer kwam, daalde haar eerbiedwaardige broer met
zijn leerlingen af en kwam naar haar toe. Zij brachten de hele dag door met de lofprijzing
van God en met gesprekken over godsdienstige onderwerpen. Toen de duisternis
van de nacht inviel, namen zij voedsel tot zich.
Toen het
tijdens die gesprekken steeds later werd, vroeg de heilige kloosterlinge hem:
‘Ik vraag je, mij deze nacht niet te verlaten, opdat wij tot de morgen een
weinig spreken over de vreugde van het leven in de hemel.’ Hij gaf haar ten
antwoord: ‘Wat zeg je daar, zuster, ik kan in geen geval buiten mijn cel
blijven.’
Toen de
heilige kloosterlinge haar broer zo hoorde weigeren, vouwde zij haar handen op
tafel en legde haar hoofd erop om de almachtige God iets te vragen. Toen zij
haar hoofd van de tafel oprichtte, begon het zo te weerlichten en te donderen
en brak er zo’n zware stortbui los, dat noch de eerbiedwaardige Benedictus,
noch zijn medebroeders die bij hem aanwezig waren en daar zaten, een voet
buiten de deur konden zetten.
Toen begon
de man Gods bedroefd te klagen: ‘Moge de almachtige God je vergeven, maar wat
heb je nu gedaan?’ Scholastica antwoordde hem: ‘Kijk, ik heb je iets gevraagd
en je wilde niet naar mij luisteren. Toen heb ik het maar aan mijn God gevraagd
en Hij heeft naar mij geluisterd. Dus ga nu maar naar buiten, als je kunt,
verlaat mij maar en ga maar terug naar het klooster.’
Benedictus
echter moest tegen zijn zin daar blijven en zo gebeurde het dat zij de hele
nacht wakend doorbrachten en door heilige gesprekken over het geestelijk leven
elkaar verrijkten.
Geen wonder
dat de vrouw méér dan hij vermocht: volgens Johannes’ woord is God immers liefde
(vgl. 1 Joh. 4, 8) en daarom was het terecht dat zij die het meest liefhad, het
meest vermocht.
En zie, toen
de man Gods na drie dagen, in zijn cel zittend, zijn ogen ten hemel sloeg, zag
hij dat de ziel van zijn zuster, die buiten het lichaam getreden was, in de
gedaante van een duif in het verborgene van de hemel doordrong. Hij verheugde
zich over zoveel heerlijkheid en bracht God in gezangen en lofprijzingen dank.
Hij zond zijn broeders om haar lichaam naar het klooster te brengen en het in
het graf te leggen, dat hij voor zichzelf bereid had.
En zo
gebeurde het dat ook het graf hun lichamen niet van elkaar kon scheiden, zoals
zij altijd één van geest waren geweest in God.
From the books of Dialogues by Saint Gregory the Great, pope
(Lib. 2, 33: PL 66, 194-196)
She who loved more could do more
Scholastica, the sister of Saint Benedict, had been consecrated to God from her earliest years. She was accustomed to visiting her brother once a year. He would come down to meet her at a place on the monastery property, not far outside the gate.
One day she came as usual and her saintly brother went with some of his disciples; they spent the whole day praising God and talking of sacred things. As night fell they had supper together.
Their spiritual conversation went on and the hour grew late. The holy nun said to her brother: “Please do not leave me tonight; let us go on until morning talking about the delights of the spiritual life.” “Sister,” he replied, “what are you saying? I simply cannot stay outside my cell.”
When she heard her brother refuse her request, the holy woman joined her hands on the table, laid her head on them and began to pray. As she raised her head from the table, there were such brilliant flashes of lightning, such great peals of thunder and such a heavy downpour of rain that neither Benedict nor his brethren could stir across the threshold of the place where they had been seated. Sadly he began to complain: “May God forgive you, sister. What have you done?” “Well,” she answered, “I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and he did listen. So now go off, if you can, leave me and return to your monastery.”
Reluctant as he was to stay of his own will, he remained against his will. So it came about that they stayed awake the whole night, engrossed in their conversation about the spiritual life.
It is not surprising that she was more effective than he, since as John says, God is love, it was absolutely right that she could do more, as she loved more.
Three days later, Benedict was in his cell. Looking up to the sky, he saw his sister’s soul leave her body in the form of a dove, and fly up to the secret places of heaven. Rejoicing in her great glory, he thanked almighty God with hymns and words of praise. He then sent his brethren to bring her body to the monastery and lay it in the tomb he had prepared for himself.
Their minds had always been united in God; their bodies were to share a common grave.
From the books of Dialogues by Saint Gregory the Great, pope
(Lib. 2, 33: PL 66, 194-196)
She who loved more could do more
Scholastica, the sister of Saint Benedict, had been consecrated to God from her earliest years. She was accustomed to visiting her brother once a year. He would come down to meet her at a place on the monastery property, not far outside the gate.
One day she came as usual and her saintly brother went with some of his disciples; they spent the whole day praising God and talking of sacred things. As night fell they had supper together.
Their spiritual conversation went on and the hour grew late. The holy nun said to her brother: “Please do not leave me tonight; let us go on until morning talking about the delights of the spiritual life.” “Sister,” he replied, “what are you saying? I simply cannot stay outside my cell.”
When she heard her brother refuse her request, the holy woman joined her hands on the table, laid her head on them and began to pray. As she raised her head from the table, there were such brilliant flashes of lightning, such great peals of thunder and such a heavy downpour of rain that neither Benedict nor his brethren could stir across the threshold of the place where they had been seated. Sadly he began to complain: “May God forgive you, sister. What have you done?” “Well,” she answered, “I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and he did listen. So now go off, if you can, leave me and return to your monastery.”
Reluctant as he was to stay of his own will, he remained against his will. So it came about that they stayed awake the whole night, engrossed in their conversation about the spiritual life.
It is not surprising that she was more effective than he, since as John says, God is love, it was absolutely right that she could do more, as she loved more.
Three days later, Benedict was in his cell. Looking up to the sky, he saw his sister’s soul leave her body in the form of a dove, and fly up to the secret places of heaven. Rejoicing in her great glory, he thanked almighty God with hymns and words of praise. He then sent his brethren to bring her body to the monastery and lay it in the tomb he had prepared for himself.
Their minds had always been united in God; their bodies were to share a common grave.
