Saints have families; fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers. Many times saints come from holy families. The same is true for today's saint, Saint Scholastica. Her twin brother was St. Benedict of Nursia, the founder of the Benedictine religious order. To have such a famous brother might be a burden for some, but St. Scholastica was famous in her own right as a founder of a religious order of women and thus she is the patron saint of nuns.
St. Scholastica's community was five milesa away from Monte Cassino, the famous first monastery of the Benedictines that St. Benedict founded. They would meet once a year to pray and talk with one another about spiritual matters. The last time that they met, St. Scholastica requested her brother to stay longer, but he wanted to get back to his monastery. She then prayed for a miracle to allow her to be with her brother and a thunderstorm broke out, keeping him there. He was troubled and said to her, "'God forgive you, what have you done?' She answered him, 'I desired you to stay, and you would not hear me; I have desired it of our good Lord, and he has granted my petition.'" Three days later she died and St. Benedict saw her soul ascend to heaven in the form of a dove.
Our families are where we first learn of God and his love for us. We help each other to grow closer to God by being loving fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, and so forth. May all that we do for our families be done according to God's will with God's love, as St. Scholastica did and would have us do.
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