Christian life – Page 8

Saint Scholastica—Letting God Decide

A quiet night, a simple prayer, and a moment handed back to God.

That night was quiet and still. It was the early 500s, in Italy. They were sitting in a small house near the monastery. Benedict, a monk and priest who would later be known as a saint, was preparing to leave. He followed a strict rule and could not stay overnight outside the monastery. Across the table was his twin sister, Scholastica, a nun who lived a life of prayer. They met only once a year. The day was spent simply, talking about God, praying, and sharing time together.

Scholastica asked him to stay longer. Benedict said no. He was faithful to the rule he lived by. Scholastica didn’t argue. She didn’t insist. She bowed her head and prayed. After that, a strong storm came, with heavy rain and wind. Benedict could no longer leave. So he stayed.

Scholastica is often remembered only because of that moment, but her life was mostly quiet. She formed other women who chose the same path of prayer and discipline. If Benedict gave structure and order to monastic life, Scholastica lived its inner spirit. Trust. Listening. Letting God decide.

The heart of the story is not the storm. It’s what she chose to do. She didn’t force her brother. She didn’t push against the rule. She placed the moment in God’s hands. If it was truly God’s will for Benedict to stay, then God would make a way. If not, she was ready to let him go. That is why Saint Gregory the Great later wrote that she “was able to do more because she loved more.” Because her love was no longer operating on a merely human level.

Today, this still happens in simple ways. We follow rules, schedules, and habits because they help life work. But sometimes, instead of pushing our way or arguing, the better move is to stop and pray. Just to leave the moment with God. That’s what Saint Scholastica shows us. Love doesn’t push. It lets God decide.

Let’s keep learning the saints’ way—day by day.

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ

Saint Josephine Bakhita—Grateful for What Happened

A life that moved from slavery to freedom, remembered for a choice few would expect.

She was born in Sudan around 1869, in the Darfur region of Africa. While she was still a child, she was kidnapped, sold into slavery, beaten, renamed, and stripped of identity. Her past was brutal. But it did not break her.

She was eventually taken to Italy, where slavery was no longer legal. There, she was declared free by the courts. In that same place, she encountered Christ. Instead of choosing anger, she chose forgiveness.

Josephine Bakhita was a former slave who lived through the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She spent about 10 years in slavery, from childhood until her arrival in Europe. Her life unfolded between Africa and Italy, shaped by extreme cruelty and, later on, unexpected freedom.

She later became a Canossian sister and lived a simple life of service. People noticed how settled she was. Nothing in her felt bitter or resentful. What she had been through did not leak into how she treated others.

Her words later revealed how she understood her own past:

“If I were to meet the slave traders who kidnapped me, I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that did not happen, I would not be a Christian today.”

Saint Josephine Bakhita’s message is simple and sharp. A painful past does not erase dignity. A wounded life can still become whole.

Today at work, in families, in friendships, online. Someone hurts us. Someone embarrasses us. Someone crosses a line. The easy move is to return it. A sharp reply. Silent treatment. A quiet grudge that stays. Another option exists. Not dramatic forgiveness. Just choosing not to add more damage. Letting a moment end instead of dragging it forward. In ordinary life, that choice already changes a lot.

Let’s keep learning the saints’ way—day by day.

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ