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Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin
1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19
Psalm 81:10-11AB, 12-13, 14-15
Mark 7:31-37
Summary
Solomon˅s sins were great and in direct disobedience to God˅s covenant.
But as great as the offences were, God punishment included mercy. The
psalmist reminds us of God˅s covenant with us and His command that we
should hear his voice.
In the Gospel message, Jesus shows mercy to one who could not hear.
The people begged Jesus to cure the man of his deafness and Jesus an-
swered their pleas. The crowd could not contain their joy and spread the
news far and wide of the amazing things Jesus did.
Reflection
St. Scholastica, the twin sister of St. Benedict, was of one heart and one
mind with her brother. When he established a monastery at Monte Cassino
in Italy, she founded a convent nearby. They visited with each other once
a year in a location near the monastery to pray and confer in spiritual mat-
ters. St. Gregory tells a
charming story of their
last meeting. They had
visited into the evening
and Benedict prepared
to leave. Scholastica
begged him to stay the
night so they could
continue their dis-
course. But Benedict
refused to break his
own rule and spend a