By Norm McGraw
Tuesday’s readings and St. Scholastica’s life illustrate how to strengthen our relationship with God. Every time we pray, every time we help a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger, we grow closer to Him. After all, our Creator’s “all in” for us.
Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin
1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30
Mark 7:1-13
Like most people, I tend to categorize relationships into those with casual acquaintances and those with people close to me. Reflecting on the biblical readings for Tuesday’s Mass for February 10th reminds me of how closely God wishes us to be with Him.
The Old Testament reading is from the book of Kings, where the people are indecisive whether to believe in the true God or in the false god Baal. The prophet Elijah challenges Baal to light an altar fire. Naturally, Elijah wins after lighting the altar and then pouring water over it, signifying the power of the true God over false gods.
Earlier in the 8th chapter, King Solomon prays to the Almighty: “Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below; you keep your covenant of mercy with your servants who are faithful to you with your whole heart. Can it indeed be that God dwells on the earth? If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which I have built!”
The passage suggests not only that God is of unimaginable majesty but also showers us with infinite love. These thoughts are implied in the responsorial psalm (Psalm 84:1, 5): “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God! Blessed are those who dwell in your house!”
Tuesday’s reading from the gospel emphasizes that substance, not style, should dominate our relationship with our Creator. In the 7th chapter of Mark, the Pharisees question Jesus on why his disciples do not follow the traditional hand-washing rituals before eating. He responds by saying the Pharisees are hypocrites: “You disregard God’s commandments but cling to human tradition.” He points out, “Moses said, ‘Honor you father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father and mother should die.’ Yet you say, if someone says to father or mother, ‘Any support you might have had from me is gorban ‘(meaning dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.”
Certainly, Saint Scholastica, the 6th-century nun whom the Church memorializes on the day of these readings, was someone who made God the center of her life. She, along with her brother, St. Benedict, were founders of the oldest order in the Church, the Benedictines. They focus on monastic life and education.
Tuesday’s readings and St. Scholastica’s life illustrate how to strengthen our relationship with God. Every time we pray, every time we help a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger, we grow closer to Him. After all, our Creator’s “all in” for us. Wouldn’t it be wise for us to be “all in” for Him?