There is a beautiful story Pope Saint Gregory the Great recorded for us about a visit of St. Scholastica to her twin brother, St. Benedict, at his Monastery of Monte Casino. Like him, she was the abbess of a monastery so she could only go occasionally to see him.
During one visit, they prayed and talked of holy things all day and late into the night. When Benedict said it was time for him to retire to his cell, Scholastica beseeched him that they continue to talk and pray till dawn. When Benedict still said he had to go, she laid her head on her arms and prayed and wept to God until a tremendous storm came that would prevent Benedict from leaving. He said, “Sister, what have you done?” She replied, “I asked, and you would not listen, so I asked my God and He listened.” St. Gregory comments, “She could do more because she loved more!”
Three days later, back in her own monastery, she died, and Benedict had a vision of her soul flying to heaven like a dove!
Scholastica embodies completely a truly free heart, a heart of pure love and out of it comes love: the point of the Lord’s words to us today. This is a very important Gospel text. Jesus saying that now the Mosaic Law, with its minute purity regulations, is completed because now the new covenant and the law of love is to be written on our hearts!
How is your heart? Are you free of those “defilements” that get in the way of love, like anger, impatience, greed, resentments, anxiety and insecurity, stubbornness, jealousy? ... How will you become free?
The Lord intends that family, your family, truly be a great school of love! Indeed, it is a very demanding school of love – so you need to understand that and so commit yourself and open yourself to the sacramental grace the Lord wants to give you to learn its lessons.
Letting the Holy Spirit write the Law of Love deeply in your heart means a beautiful yet challenging journey of grace, whether you are a Monk or a Mother!
- Father Jim's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)
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