St. Scholastica

Summary

Podcast Summary: Catholic Saints – Episode on St. Scholastica

Introduction to the Episode

In the February 10, 2025 release of the Augustine Institute’s podcast series "Catholic Saints," hosts Dr. Elizabeth Klein and Dr. Jessica Murdoch delve into the life of Saint Scholastica, the twin sister of the renowned Saint Benedict of Nursia. This episode is part of a series focusing on lesser-known female saints, aiming to shed light on their inspiring lives and contributions to the Catholic tradition.

Exploring the Life of Saint Scholastica

Dr. Elizabeth Klein opens the discussion by introducing Saint Scholastica, emphasizing her noble birth in Nursia around 480 AD and her deep, lifelong devotion to God. “Saint Scholastica...was born to nobles in Nursia. And she loved God intensely from childhood” (01:05) she explains. Dr. Murdoch adds that Scholastica was profoundly influenced by her brother Benedict’s holiness, which drove her to pursue a life of asceticism similar to his own.

Shared Spiritual Journeys with Saint Benedict

The conversation highlights the parallel lives of Saint Scholastica and Saint Benedict. Both began as hermits, driven by a desire for a deeper spiritual life. “She endeavored to become a hermit, living at the foot of the mountain of her brother's monastery” (01:05) Dr. Murdoch notes. Dr. Klein draws a comparison to Saint Augustine’s relationship with his sister, showcasing a recurring theme in Catholic sainthood where siblings inspire and support each other’s spiritual journeys.

Founding of Monastic Communities

As both saints attracted followers, they transitioned from solitary lives to founding monastic communities. Dr. Murdoch explains, “Other women flocked to St. Scholastica, and they began praying together in the same place...she was almost forced to found a monastery to house all of the women who came to pray together” (02:09). Scholastica established a monastery five miles south of Monte Cassino, mirroring her brother’s monastic rule, thereby creating a “twin monastery” (02:36).

The Final Days of Saint Scholastica

A poignant story recounted by Dr. Murdoch details the final meeting between Saint Scholastica and Saint Benedict. According to Pope Gregory the Great’s account, during their annual meeting, a severe storm prevented Benedict from returning to his monastery, effectively allowing Scholastica to pass away peacefully. “St. Benedict could not go to the monastery that night...this was going to be her last night alive” (03:54). Upon returning, Benedict witnessed a dove ascending to heaven, symbolizing Scholastica’s soul (04:51).

Lessons on Charity and Discipline

The episode delves into the profound lesson imparted by Scholastica’s final request to Benedict—prioritizing charity over rigid adherence to rules. Dr. Klein reflects, “The life that Dr. Murdoch is referring to was written by Pope Gregory the Great...the lesson is charity rules all” (05:14). This narrative underscores the importance of compassion and flexibility within religious practice, suggesting that true charity may sometimes require breaking established norms for the greater good.

Modern Implications and Family Holiness

Dr. Klein and Dr. Murdoch draw parallels between Scholastica’s story and contemporary Christian life. They emphasize the significance of holy family relationships and the impact of saintly examples within families. “There really is that idea that men and women are in it together...God is calling people to love him and to witness in all of these different ways” (08:21). Dr. Murdoch adds, “The sheer effects that holy families can have on the world...is amazing” (09:08), highlighting how familial sanctity can inspire broader community and vocations.

Conclusion and Call to Prayer

The episode concludes by encouraging listeners to seek Saint Scholastica’s intercession for the sanctity of families and the prioritization of charity in their lives. Dr. Klein summarizes, “We can ask for the intercession of Saint Scholastica” (09:27), reinforcing the episode’s central themes of mutual support, charity, and the enduring legacy of saintly relationships.

Notable Quotes

• Dr. Jessica Murdoch: “She endeavored to become a hermit, living at the foot of the mountain of her brother's monastery” (01:05).
• Dr. Elizabeth Klein: “The lesson is charity rules all” (05:14).
• Dr. Jessica Murdoch: “The sheer effects that holy families can have on the world...is amazing” (09:08).

Final Thoughts

This episode of "Catholic Saints" provides a rich and engaging exploration of Saint Scholastica’s life, her close relationship with Saint Benedict, and the timeless lessons of charity and familial holiness. Through insightful dialogue and historical narratives, Dr. Klein and Dr. Murdoch offer listeners a deeper understanding of Scholastica’s enduring spiritual legacy, making it accessible and inspiring for both the faithful and those new to the stories of Catholic saints.

For those interested in exploring further, the Augustine Institute offers video formats of these interviews on their online Catholic streaming service at form.org.

Transcript

[Host]

You're listening to a podcast on Catholic saints. This podcast is produced by the Augustine Institute, an apostolate helping Catholics understand, live, and share their faith.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Welcome back to form now. I'm Dr. Elizabeth Klein. I'm here with Dr. Jessica Murdoch. We both teach here at the Augustine Institute, and we're doing a series on holy women you've never heard of. So some more obscure female saints from the tradition who we both admire and like and would like to spread their cult and share love of these saints. So this episode is on Saint Scholastica, the sister of Saint Benedict. She lived in the fifth century, so it was born around 480 and died around 5, 5 42. So the previous two saints Macrina and Mary Egypt, were saints that I picked. And Scholastica is a saint that Dr. Murdoch picked. So I'm gonna let her kick it off telling us a little bit about Saint Scholastica.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

Well, we don't know a whole lot about Saint Scholastica, but as you said, she was actually the twin Sister of St. Benedict of Nursia. So she, too, was born to nobles in Nursia. And she loved God intensely from childhood. She was really taken by her brother's holy example. And when he left, he left to study in Rome, and then eventually St. Benedict, you know, founded his monastery and wrote his rule. And she was so impressed by this that she endeavored to become a hermit, living at the foot of the mountain of her brother's monastery, actually.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Well, that's really interesting because. So just to remind people a little bit of St. Benedict. So St. Benedict is, of course, really well known, like patron state of Europe, foundation of Western monasticism. But he actually had a really similar trajectory. Right, because he started off as a hermit.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

Yes, he did. He started as a hermit, too. And others gathered around him and recognized his wisdom. And eventually, when you have enough people praying in one place, you found a monastery.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

You're not a hermit anymore. And so that's really interesting that she kind of really follows the same thing. I wonder if they were identical twins.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

That's exactly.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

They can't be identical twins.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

That's exactly what happened, though. Other women flocked to St. Scholastica, and they began praying together in the same place. And eventually she was almost forced to found a monastery to house all of the women who came to pray together. But what was great is she used her brother's rule. Okay, so it was like a twin monastery to his monastery about five miles south of Monte Cassino with a twin rule. Yes.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

That's really interesting. It kind of reminds me of St. Augustine had a sister who was a nun, and he wrote a rule for her. So this theme of, like, holy brothers and sisters is kind of urging each other on. It's kind of a constant throughout the tradition. I mean, we talked about Saint Macrina and her as well, was with her brothers. It's just. It's kind of. I don't know, it's kind of encouraging for us, for those in families, or maybe discouraging for an unholy example. But that's kind of an encouraging idea that sort of. That holiness can come through, you know, bloodlines, so to speak. It runs in the blood, hopefully, if you're a good example.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

Right. And it seems that this brother and sister were very close to each other, even though they were in their separate monasteries. It said that every year they would meet at a farmhouse because it would have been against the Rule of St. Benedict for them to meet each other's monasteries. So once a year, they would meet at a farmhouse and pass the days in holy conversation, elevating their hearts to God and urging each other on in their monastic life, actually.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Yeah. And that's really awesome. And the life that Dr. Murray is referring to was written by Pope Gregory the Great, the life of St. Benedict, kind of like a generation after him. So he's the one who records the story of St. Scholastica. If I recall, there's kind of one, like, really cool story of Scholastica near the end of the life of St. Benedict.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

Yes, there is. Gregory the Great does tell us about the last time that St. Benedict and St. Scholastica came together in the farmhouse. They, as usual, passed the hours in holy conversation. And at one point, St. Benedict was trying to leave, and Scholastica asked him to stay, and he was going to deny her because it would have been against his rule to spend a night outside of his monastery. And so Saint Scholastica turned to our Lord and prayed for him to in some way detain her brother. And what happened is a very bad storm came by, and St. Benedict could not go to the monastery that night. As it turns out, this was going to be her last night alive. He returned to his monastery and three days later saw a dove ascending to heaven that represented the soul of his sister.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Yeah. And then they end up, like, being buried next to each other, right?

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

Yes, in the monastery at Monte Cassino.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

And when her prayer is granted, St. Benedict's all upset, as if, you know, she's called down, like a curse or something.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

He did. And she says to him, I asked you and you wouldn't listen. I asked God and it was granted. As if to point out that it was God who wanted this final request.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Yeah. And the like, kind of the. I think there's a line in there like, she who loved more was granted more.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

Right.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

So she's kind of like this patron state of charity, which. It's just very interesting that this Holy sister features so strongly at the end of the life of St. Benedict. Because, of course, it's not the life of saint scholasticism. It's about Benedict. It's about him founding these orders and putting down this rule. And yet the final kind of word almost, because Benedict dies shortly. It's very close to the end. He dies and then is buried next to his sister. It's kind of like the lesson is charity rules all. You know, even though it's, of course, praising The Rule of St. Benedict and the way of life he founded, founding a school for the Lord's Son, service and discipline and all of these things.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

But charity first.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

But still charity first. And that sometimes means not following the rule, because that's actually like he actually broke his own rule. But it's trying to say something about sort of when. When to make those discernments about. About charity first. It. It. I study St. Augustine, so I'm always reminded about things about St. Augustine, no matter what saint we're talking about. But it reminds me of something in a little treatise that Augustine wrote. There's a deacon who wrote to Augustine and said, I get bored listening to myself talk about theology. When someone walks into your door and they say, I want to become a Christian, what do you even say to them? Where do you even start? And how do you stop yourself from being bored? And how do you make time for it? And all these things. Augustine, one of the things he responds is not so much with what to say, but the right disposition to be in when you say it. And he says, like, okay, we all work really hard to make our schedules as best as they can, be most efficient, do our best work for God. But you can be guaranteed that if someone walks in your door and says, I want to be a Christian, that you know what God has planned for you that day.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

Right?

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Like, you drop everything.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

You see this? Even for mothers, I think that's a wonderful example. Even for mothers. Sometimes we try to, you know, get all of our prayers said and have a certain life of piety, and children will just intervene. And the right act of charity is to respond to those needs, sometimes even.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Over and against the prayer, especially when, like, we sometimes think of spiritual needs in a very like, rigid way of, like, okay, my spiritual needs are like my holy hour every day, or my Bible time every day. And of course, again, like, this story is saying, rules are good, discipline is good, but there are. If someone. If someone's right there in front of you saying, like, give me Jesus, you know, that's what scholastica is saying, like, I want to have more time with you to talk about the Lord and to encourage my soul. Little does he know, in preparation for her death. But that's a lesson for us, right? If someone comes to us and is asking us for spiritual help, for prayers, for advice, like, we don't know what's going on in their life. We don't know if they're going through something very difficult. We don't know if they. This may be their last day on earth, for all we know. And if we think it doesn't fit into our schedule, then we may never have the time.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

Right.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

And so I think it's just. It's just a very beautiful lesson. And that point I made about Saint Mary of Egypt's life is that sometimes, you know, we know these sort of, like, great desert fathers, we know these great male monastics, like St. Benedict, but as in all great stories, there's almost always a woman in the background somewhere. Maybe she's not as sort of put to the fore, although in this story, she really is, in a way, because she's kind of the crowning jewel of the end of the story. But there really is that idea that men and women are in it together, whether or not it's sort of monastic life or hermit life or family life, that God is calling people to love him and to witness in all of these different ways, whether or not.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

And it also demonstrates what the sheer effects that holy families can have on the world. I mean, the amount of vocations coming out of the monastic family, let's say, of Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica, is amazing. Really?

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Yeah.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

All born from their own holy conversation.

[Dr. Elizabeth Klein]

Yeah. And, you know, we have modern examples too, like with Therese of Lisieux's family. And people really are like, wow, that's. That's so amazing. But it is amazing, of course, but there's a pattern there in the tradition of saints encouraging one another, saints being a holy example, especially in the family. And so that's a good thing to always keep in mind as a parent, especially I'm a parent of young children, and so I don't know what they're going to grow up to do, but maybe if just one of them turns out holy, it could have a really big effect on the rest of the family and they can sort of be there for their brothers and sisters. Because I think that's as a parent, that's what you almost want more than anything is for your children to have a holy friendship, not just with yourself, but with one another. Because this is the kind of thing that happens when those things are able to develop. So maybe that's something we can ask Saint Scholastica to intercede for for holy families and holy examples in our families and for good timing of rainstorms. Thanks for joining us for this little episode on Saint Scholastica. We don't know a lot about her, but the stories about her are very beautiful. And we can be rest assured that St. Benedict's legacy is in part owing to his holy friendship with his sister. So can ask for the intercession of Saint Scholastica.

[Dr. Jessica Murdoch]

Pray for us.

[Host]

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