by Patricia Mathson
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Scholastica and her twin brother, Benedict, were born in Italy in 480. Their parents taught them about God and made sure that that they received a good education. Even as a child, Scholastica wanted to dedicate her life to God.
A Simple Life
When she grew up, Scholastica gave up her life of wealth. She became the first nun in an order founded by her brother. As a Benedictine, she lived a simple life of prayer and study. The twins got together once a year to catch up on each other’s lives.
Putting God First
One of the rules of the order that was especially meaningful to Scholastica was “the love of Christ must come before all else.” Scholastica lived this rule and put God first in her life. She trusted God in all things.
Person of Prayer
Scholastica was a person of prayer who gave praise to God each day. We, too, are called to be people of prayer and to put God first in our lives, the way St. Scholastica did. Both Benedict and Scholastica are canonized saints.
What Can We Do?
* We can be like St. Scholastica by being aware of all the things for which we give praise to God. Let’s think of things such as friends, family, sunshine, animals, and God’s love. What are other gifts that God has given us?
* We can look up Ephesians 6:18 and then make small posters with the words from this verse: “Pray at every opportunity.” We can then display the posters at home to remind our families to pray to God always.
* We can learn about Benedictine Sisters today. They live lives of prayer and ministry in states across the U.S. and in other countries. We can thank God for all they do.
Prayer
Almighty God, help us to be people of prayer like St. Scholastica. May we offer you all we do each day. Help us to do your will and put you first in our lives. Guide us to live in your love always. Amen.
Patricia Mathson has many years experience in faith formation as a DRE and holds a MRE degree from the University of Dallas. She is the children’s ministry coordinator at Hope Family Center in Des Moines, IA. She is the author of many books including Plant the Seed: Sharing the Gospel with Children (Liguori Publications).
Copyright 2012, Bayard, Inc. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, redisseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of Bayard, Inc.
This article was written by the Catechist Staff and appeared in Catechist magazine, January 2012.
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