Hi! I’m Meredith, and one of the most distinct memories I have of sibling fun is my brother Stephen jumping out from behind corners to scare me (I’m still a little frightened of empty hallways). My son now does this to my daughters—circle of life, I guess.
Happy Feast of Saint Scholastica! She is best remembered in history as the fraternal twin of Saint Benedict. He was a monk, she was a nun—that’s got to be some kind of Catholic family Bingo. The most famous story of the twins is the time that Scholastica called down a thunderstorm to spend more time with her brother.
This happened on their annual visit (I’m getting all of this from this website, which quotes the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great—a good call on my part, because when I tried to remember the story on my own, I got the whole thing wrong [wrong location, wrong dead sibling {woops, spoiler...!}]). Benedict and some of his fellow monks came just outside the monastery gates so he could meet with his sister: “they spent the whole day praising God and talking of sacred things.” When he wanted to go back to his cell and his monk-ly routine—that man loved routines—Scholastica asked him to stay. When he said no, she prayed and asked God to make it impossible for him to leave. Cue giant thunderstorm—what my high school track coach would have called a “Nor’ Eastern Squall.” They probably didn’t have those in Italy, but the point is that no one was leaving the veranda.
Benedict was not happy: “May God forgive you sister! What have you done?” But he was stuck. They spent the rest of the night together swapping funny memes/ talking about the spiritual life (potato, po-tah-to). Scholastica left in the morning. She died a few days later, and Benedict made a pilgrimage to her convent to collect her body. He buried her in the grave marked out for him: “Their minds had always been united in God; their bodies were to share a common grave.”
This story reminds me how much siblings matter. Unlike our children or our parents, their lives run parallel to ours. That kind of proximity doesn’t promise closeness or even relationship. But it does make it a possibility, even if it’s a mess.
I’ve told this story before, but it’s worth mentioning again. My brother David is nine years sober. In those first years of sobriety, he called me once a week. He always initiated these calls. He was working to build back a relationship, and because of his wisdom, he did it slowly and carefully. And he kept at it. When the silences were awkward. When I didn’t pick up the phone. He learned how to ask questions about babies. And now, in addition to being my hero, he’s also one of my best friends. I guess what I’m saying is that, when it comes to our siblings, things can be good. And there’s no better way to celebrate Saint Scholastica than to call up a sibling and tell them how much you love them. And if they want to hang up, you can call down a thunderstorm. I mean, it worked for her.
You Asked, We Didn’t Listen…
Jonny just ordered bees, which was the least popular choice on the Summer Fun Survey.
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Easter Giveaway!
You can pre-order Eucharistic Saints here.
To celebrate the book’s release, I’m giving away a gift basket that will include a copy of Humans of Heaven by Jana Pingel (plus a few surprise presents!). TO ENTER: either pre-order Eucharistic Saints OR tell someone about the book. I believe in the power of word-of-mouth when it comes to books. Think of it as the other algorithm—it’s the way that books find the people who really need them. THEN, drop a comment or an email to tell me you did one of those things, and I’ll put you on a list. I’ll choose a winner on Easter week.
Grateful for YOU !
This just strikes me as a very sibling thing to do. I love you so much imma call a thunderstorm. I really appreciate these more human glimpses into saints’ lives. It’s like the feeling I get every time Peter does something ridiculous in the Gospels — that there’s a little hope for all of us mere mortals.