FEAST OF ST. SCHOLASTICA-MARRIAGE WEEK
Sirach,
Chapter 15, Verse 13
Abominable wickedness
the LORD hates and he does not let it happen to those who fear him.
Have you ever been so angry; livid at someone or
something and then discovered the reason for your anger was directly correlated
to a defect in yourself that you had buried and chose to ignore? We all have
and then realized that we are not as perfect as we pretend to be. Let us
reflect on Paul’s advice to the Ephesians, “Brothers and sisters: I declare and
testify in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the
futility of their minds; that is not how you learned Christ, assuming that you
have heard of him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus, that you should
put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful
desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created
in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth. (Eph 4:17-20) By the
renewal of our minds we through Christ’s grace check our feelings, moods and
prejudices or preferences and strive to maintain the right intensions.
Lord, Grant that I may follow Your
words in my daily life. Let Your truth teach me, guide me, and protect me and
may it deliver me from all evil desires and foolish love. Let me esteem nothing
as great, or valuable, or wonderful, except insofar as it makes me better and
more pleasing in your eyes. In this way I shall never be a slave of this earth,
but shall walk daily towards Heaven in Holy Fear.[1]
Feast of St.
Scholastica[2]
St.
Scholastica was the twin sister of St. Benedict, the Patriarch of Western
monasticism. She was born in Umbria, Italy, about 480. Under Benedict's
direction, Scholastica founded a community of nuns near the great Benedictine
monastery Monte Cassino. Inspired by Benedict's teaching, his sister devoted
her whole life to seeking and serving God. She died in 547 and tradition holds
that at her death her soul ascended to heaven in the form of a dove.
Things
to Do
·
Tell
your children about the "holy twins": St. Scholastica and the tender
love she had for her brother St. Benedict. Ask them how they can help one
another to become saints.
·
Make
an altar hanging or window transparency in the shape of a dove to honor St.
Scholastica.
God
created man in his image in the divine image he created him; male and female he
created them. (Gn 1:27) The two creation stories in the book of Genesis
communicate two important truths about the identity of man and woman and the
relationship between them. In the first account, God creates both male and
female at the same time and in the divine image. This act completes creation,
and God judges it to be ―very good (Gn 1:31). In this way, Sacred Scripture
affirms the fundamental equality and dignity of man and woman as persons
created in God ‘s image. The second creation account emphasizes that both sexes
are necessary for God ‘s plan. Having created Adam, God says, ―It is not good
for the man to be alone (Gn 2:18). So, God creates a helpmate who is suitable
for him and matches him. ―Helpmate (ezer) is a word reserved in the Bible not
for inferiors but most often for God himself, who is Israel ‘s ―helper. Indeed,
after God creates all of the animals and brings them to Adam to name, it
becomes clear that none of them is―the suitable partner for the man (Gn 2:20).
Then God puts Adam under a deep sleep and, using one of his ribs, builds up a
woman for him as a suitable partner or helpmate. When he sees the woman, Adam
cries out in wondrous joy: This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of
my flesh; this one shall be called―woman, for out of ―her man this one has been
taken. (Gn 2:23) Adam and Eve were literally made for each other. Man and woman
have been made to come together in the union of marriage. The text of Genesis
continues: That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his
wife, and the two of them become one body [flesh] (Gn 2:24). Marriage, this
clinging together of husband and wife as one flesh, is based on the fact that
man and woman are both different and the same. They are different as male and
female, but the same as human persons who are uniquely suited to be partners or
helpmates for each other. The difference between man and woman, however, cannot
be restricted to their bodies, as if the body could be separated from the rest
of the human person. The human person is a union of body and soul as a single
being. Man and woman are two different ways of being a human person. While man
and woman are different, their differences serve to relate them to each other.
They are not different in a parallel way, as two lines that never meet. Man and
woman do not have separate destinies. They are related to each other precisely
in their differences. The differences between male and female are
complementary. Male and female are distinct bodily ways of being human, of
being open to God and to one another—two distinct yet harmonizing ways of
responding to the vocation to love. While human persons are more than
biological organisms, the roots of marriage can be seen in the biological fact
that a man and a woman can come together as male and female in a union that has
the potential for bringing forth another human person. This kind of union fills
the need for the continuation of the human race. Since human beings exist at
more than a biological level, however, this union has further personal and
spiritual dimensions. Marriage does not exist solely for the reproduction of
another member of the species, but for the creation of a communion of persons. To
form a communion of persons is the vocation of everyone. As Pope John Paul II
teaches, all human persons are created in the image of God, who is a communion
of love of three persons, and thus all are called to live in a communion of
self-giving love: ―to say that man is created in the image and likeness of God
means that man is called to exist ̳for ‘others, to become a gift. Marriage,
however, is a unique communion of persons. In their intimate union as male and
female, the spouses are called to exist for each other. Just as Genesis
describes Eve as a helper for Adam, we can see that in marriage, a husband and wife
are meant to help each other through self-giving.―In the ̳unity of the two,
‘man and woman are called from the beginning not only to exist side by side ‘or
together, ‘but they are also called to exist mutually one for the other. ‟This
communion of persons has the potential to bring forth human life and thus to
produce the family, which is itself another kind of communion of persons and
which is the origin and foundation of all human society. It is precisely the
difference between man and woman that makes possible this unique communion of
persons, the unique part8nership of life and love that is marriage. A man and
woman united in marriage as husband and wife serve as a symbol of both life and
love in a way that no other relationship of human persons can.
Almighty and
eternal God, You blessed the union of married couples so that they might
reflect the union of Christ with his Church: look with kindness on them. Renew
their marriage covenant, increase your love in them, and strengthen their bond
of peace so that, with their children, they may always rejoice in the gift of
your blessing. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
Some
question whether it is appropriate for the Church to play a role in political
life. However, the obligation to teach the moral truths that should shape our
lives, including our public lives, is central to the mission given to the
Church by Jesus Christ. Moreover, the United States Constitution protects the
right of individual believers and religious bodies to participate and speak out
without government interference, favoritism, or discrimination. Civil law
should fully recognize and protect the right of the Church and other
institutions in civil society to participate in cultural, political, and
economic life without being forced to abandon or ignore their central moral
convictions. Our nation's tradition of pluralism is enhanced, not threatened,
when religious groups and people of faith bring their convictions and concerns
into public life. Indeed, our Church's teaching is in accord with the
foundational values that have shaped our nation's history: "life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness."
Daily
Devotions
[1] Paone, Anthony J., Our Daily Bread, 1954.
[2]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-02-10
[4]http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/upload/Prayer-for-Married-Couples.pdf
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