Saint Scholastica (480 – 547)
Psalter: Week I
White
She was born in Nursia in about 480, the twin sister of St Benedict. She was dedicated to God from an early age and followed her brother to Cassino, where she died in about 547.
Entrance Antiphon
Here is a wise virgin, from among the number of the prudent, who went forth with lighted lamp to meet Christ.
Collect
As we celebrate anew the Memorial of the Virgin Saint Scholastica, we pray, O Lord, that, following her example, we may serve you with pure love and happily receive what comes from loving you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Genesis 1:1-19
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, and God’s spirit hovered over the water. God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. God saw that light was good, and God divided light from darkness. God called light ‘day’, and darkness he called ‘night.’ Evening came and morning came: the first day. God said, ‘Let there be a vault in the waters to divide the waters in two.’ And so it was. God made the vault, and it divided the waters above the vault from the waters under the vault. God called the vault ‘heaven.’ Evening came and morning came: the second day. God said, ‘Let the waters under heaven come together into a single mass, and let dry land appear.’ And so it was. God called the dry land ‘earth’ and the mass of waters ‘seas’, and God saw that it was good. God said, ‘Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees bearing fruit with their seed inside, on the earth.’ And so it was. The earth produced vegetation: plants bearing seed in their several kinds, and trees bearing fruit with their seed inside in their several kinds. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came: the third day. God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of heaven to divide day from night, and let them indicate festivals, days and years. Let them be lights in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth.’ And so it was. God made the two great lights: the greater light to govern the day, the smaller light to govern the night, and the stars. God set them in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth, to govern the day and the night and to divide light from darkness. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came: the fourth day.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103(104):1-2,5-6,10,12,24,35
R/ May the Lord rejoice in his works!
Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord God, how great you are, clothed in majesty and glory, wrapped in light as in a robe!
You founded the earth on its base, to stand firm from age to age. You wrapped it with the ocean like a cloak: the waters stood higher than the mountains.
You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow in between the hills. On their banks dwell the birds of heaven; from the branches they sing their song.
How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your riches. Bless the Lord, my soul!
Gospel Acclamation: Jn8:12
Alleluia, alleluia! I am the light of the world, says the Lord; anyone who follows me will have the light of life. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 6:53-56
Having made the crossing, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up. No sooner had they stepped out of the boat than people recognised him, and started hurrying all through the countryside and brought the sick on stretchers to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, to village, or town, or farm, they laid down the sick in the open spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were cured.
Prayer over the Offerings
As we proclaim your wonders, O Lord, in the blessed Virgin Saint Scholastica, we humbly implore your majesty that, as her merits are pleasing to you, so, too, our dutiful service may find favour in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Mt 25: 6
Behold, the Bridegroom is coming;come out to meet Christ the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Renewed by partaking of this divine gift, we pray, O Lord our God, that by the example of the blessed Saint Scholastica, bearing in our body the Death of Jesus, we may strive to hold fast to you alone. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The creation account recounts more than just the origin of heaven, earth, and all that there is within them; it implicitly portrays God as the divine author of every created thing that exists. Moreover, everything God made, He deemed good. God desires only what is for our own good. This explains why all the sick brought to Jesus were cured, if only they could touch him. In this, we see humanity as the most important focus of the Lord’s works, a source of His rejoicing. No wonder, St. Irenaeus of Lyon aptly states that “the glory of God is man alive”. Sadly, we often distort the inherent goodness of God’s creation, leading to the misuse of resources meant for our well-being, causing much evil and suffering in our world today. However, we must always remember that if God has placed all of creation in the service of humanity, in turn, we must use our creativity for the glory of God. Only then will the Lord rejoice in all His works.