As we honor St. Scholastica, twin sister of St. Benedict of Nursia, and patroness of nuns, we are reminded that "rules are good (for order), but there are times when a "higher rule" displaces them.
So it was when Scholastica asked Benedict, who came to her monastery from nearby Monte Cassino for their annual visit, to stay the night so that they might talk more, sensing that this might be their last visit. When he refused, she prayed and a great thunderstorm descended from the heavens, making it impossible for him to leave. "What have you done?" Benedict is reported to have asked. She replied, "I asked you to stay and you did not listen. I asked God, and he listened." The law of love overshadowed Benedict's rule forbidding monks to spend the night outside the monastery. God who is Love,it would seem, prefers an act of love over a rule, as Benedict learned. Scholastica died three days after the visit No doubt, Benedict was happy to have had the extra time with her.
Lesson well taken: Love is the Rule that rules the rule.
Bro. Rene
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