GREGORY. What man is there, Peter, in this world, that is in greater
favour with God than St. Paul was: who yet three times desired our Lord
to be delivered from the prick of the flesh, and obtained not his
petition? Concerning which point also I must needs tell you, how there
was one thing which the venerable father Benedict would have done, and
yet he could not.
For his sister called Scholastica, dedicated from her infancy to our
Lord, used once a year to come and visit her brother. To whom the man of
God went not far from the gate, to a place that did belong to the
Abbey, there to give her entertainment. And she coming thither on a time
according to her custom, her venerable brother with his monks went to
meet her, where they spent the whole day in the praises of God and
spiritual talk: and when it was almost night they supped together, and
as they were yet sitting at the table, talking of devout matters, and
darkness came on, the holy Nun his sister entreated him to stay there
all night, that they might spend it in discoursing of the joys of
heaven. But by no persuasion would he agree unto that, saying that he
might not by any means tarry all night out of his Abbey.
At that time, the sky was so clear that no cloud was to be seen. The
Nun, receiving this denial of her brother, joining her hands together,
laid them upon the table: and so, bowing down her head upon them, she
made her prayers to almighty God: and lifting her head from the table,
there fell suddenly such a tempest of lightning and thundering, and such
abundance of rain, that neither venerable Benedict, nor his monks that
were with him, could put their head out of door: for the holy Nun,
resting her head upon her hands, poured forth such a flood of tears upon
the table, that she drew the clear air to a watery sky, so that after
the end of her devotions, that storm of rain followed: and her prayer
and the rain did so meet together, that as she lifted up her head from
the table, the thunder began, so that in one and the very same instant,
she lifted up her head and brought down the rain. The man of God, seeing
that he could not by reason of such thunder and lightning and great
abundance of rain return back to his Abbey, began to be heavy and to
complain of his sister, saying: “God forgive you, what have you done?”
to whom she answered: “I desired you to stay, and you would not hear me,
I have desired our good Lord, and he hath vouchsafed to grant my
petition: wherefore if you can now depart, in God’s name return to your
monastery, and leave me here alone.”
But the good father, being not able to go forth, tarried there
against his will, where willingly before he would not stay. And so by
that means they watched all night, and with spiritual and heavenly talk
did mutually comfort one another: and therefore by this we see, as I
said before, that he would have had that thing, which yet he could not:
for if we respect the venerable man’s mind, no question but he would
have had the same fair weather to have continued as it was, when he set
forth, but he found that a miracle did prevent his desire, which, by the
power of almighty God, a woman’s prayers had wrought. And it is not a
thing to be marvelled at, that a woman which of long time had not seen
her brother, might do more at that time than he could, seeing, according
to the saying of St. John, God is charity and therefore of right she did more which loved more.
PETER. I confess that I am wonderfully pleased with that which you tell me.
GREGORY. The next day the venerable woman returned to her Nunnery,
and the man of God to his Abbey: who three days after, standing in his
cell, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, beheld the soul of his sister
(which was departed from her body), in the likeness of a dove to ascend
into heaven: who rejoicing much to see her great glory, with hymns and
lauds gave thanks to Almighty God, and did impart the news of this her
death to his monks, whom also he sent presently to bring her corpse to
his Abbey, to have it buried in that grave which he had provided for
himself: by means whereof it fell out that, as their souls were always
one in God whiles they lived, so their bodies continued together after
their death.
(Dialogues Bk. 2.33-34)
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