Homily of Most Rev. Charles John Brown D.D., Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines
Memorial of Saint Scholastica | February 10, 2025
St. Scholastica's Academy Pampanga
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. Only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken away from her” (Lk. 41-42).
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
For me as your Apostolic Nuncio, that means, the representative of Pope Francis here in the Philippines, it gives me so much joy and happiness to be with you this morning, at St. Scholastica's Academy, here in Pampanga, in San Fernando. Together with your beloved Archbishop, Florentino Lavarias, and other bishops who have come; priests, sisters, who have come from near and far, to be with all of you, Scholasticans, on this joyful day, this feast day of your beloved patron, Saint Scholastica. I thank in a very special way, Sister Mary John Mananzan, OSB, the school directress, who has invited me to be with you this morning.
Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Scholastica. Her beautiful statue is in front of me. We can contemplate her in this wonderful image. Today is part of your 100 Year Celebration, this centennial celebration in which you are seeking to “Rekindle the Gift of Benedictine Education” here at St. Scholastica's Academy in San Fernando. All of you, Scholasticans.
We've looked back over 100 years of Benedictine education in Pampanga; and today and throughout this year, especially in June, when you actually come to the actual day of the foundation of your school, we raise a mighty symphony of thanksgiving, of gratitude to God, for everything that He has accomplished through St. Scholastica's Academy here in San Fernando.
We thank God for the administrators of the school over these 100 years. We thank God for the teachers of the school over these 100 years, the support staff, the alumni, many of whom are gathered here this morning with us; and especially you, the students, the Scholasticans, we celebrate you this day after 100 years of the presence of the sisters here in San Fernando.
Indeed, it was in June of 1925, that this school began, after it was originally called “Assumption Academy”. The name was changed to St. Scholastica’s [Academy], in honor of this wonderful saint, the sister of St. Benedict, whom we celebrate today.
Martha and Mary
Our Gospel (Luke 10:38-42) is chosen especially for St. Scholastica. As we heard, the Gospel is about when Jesus went to visit His friends: Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. Three siblings who were living not far from Nazareth. Jesus goes to visit them. He goes for a meal with them. We heard in the Gospel what happened. Jesus arrives, He sits down, and Mary, who is traditionally the younger of the two sisters, sits at His feet, she was listening to Jesus, absorbing His words, watching Him. It’s a kind of contemplating Him.
Her sister, Martha is running around, getting the lunch ready, doing all the preparations, very, very busy. There is a certain point in the Gospel today, Martha says to Jesus, “Jesus, don’t you care that my sister has left me all alone to do all the serving? Tell her to help me,” and Jesus doesn’t do what Marth asks. He doesn’t say, “Mary, get up and help your sister.” He says, “No.” He says to Martha, “Martha, Martha, you’re worried about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary, the one sitting here with me, she has chosen the better part and it will not be taken away from her.”
This is a very famous Gospel that we can reflect on because it is rich in symbolism and in meaning. Jesus defends Mary, the one who is seated there, listening to Him. In some sectors of the Church’s history, we have people who interpreted Martha and Mary like two different states or styles of life in the Church. […] However, the Lord is not trying to talk about two different states of life, but two different elements in the life of each and every one of us, of you and me. Each of us has a bit of Martha and Mary, and we need to keep them, as we heard in the introduction in the liturgy this morning, in balance. We need to keep them in balance. We need to be active and contemplative. We need, as we say in your beautiful Benedictine motto, “Ora et Labora”, that means, “Pray and work.”
Ora et Labora
You know, dear students, dear Scholasticans? For us as Catholics, it’s not usually, in all of our thinking, the way our minds works as Catholics, it’s not usually a matter of choosing “either” or “or”, [such as] “Martha or Mary”. It’s always “both”, “and”. We need to pray “and” work, there are so many examples of “both”, “and” in the Catholic Church: Jesus is God “and” Man; Mary, our Blessed Virgin Mary is Virgin “and” Mother. Both. We make our response to God and come to salvation through faith “and” works. Not one or the other. It’s always for us Catholics “both”, “and”. In Latin, “et”, not one or the other.
In fact, the root of the word in Greek of heresy (heresy means false teaching), the root of that word (αἵρεσις = hairesis) means “to choose”. Heresy is choosing: one against the other. Example: “Jesus is only God, He is not man,” “Mary was a mother, she is not a virgin.” Choosing one or the other. Saying we make our way to God “only by faith, no works,” or “only by works, no faith”. [In the Catholic Church], we hold them together.
That’s what is important to you as young people: to hold these two things together. To have a balance between orare (praying) and laborare (working); but in that balance, there is also a kind of priority. Jesus says in the Gospel, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and everything else will be added unto you” (Mt. 6:33). We have that beautiful hymn.
Primacy of Prayer
So, we have balance between our work and our prayer, but there is a priority. We need to pray. We need to put the first place in prayer. That is why the Benedictine motto is not “labora et ora,” it's “ora et labora”. First things first.
We need to be people who pray, people who come in contact with Jesus, people who listen to Him. Because if our interior life is strong and sound, if we’re receiving God’s life in the sacraments, if we are praying like Mary [of Bethany] symbolizing at the feet of Jesus, then our activity will be infused and filled with that power that comes from prayer.
Prayer is the “one thing necessary”. That is why Jesus is defending Mary [of Bethany]. He is like saying, “Don’t get caught up in activism, running around, doing many activities, and forgetting about your prayer life.” This is true for young people. We need to pray. We need to take care of our interior life, our connection with Jesus. Because if that is sound, strong, and beautiful, then we begin to, we can say, radiate around us the love of God. But if our interior life is dry, or absent, then we don’t have something to give to the world. We can only give what we have received, and we receive in prayer, we receive in being like Mary, seated at the feet of Jesus.
Choose to Pray
You know? Especially Scholasticans, in the Gospel this morning, there is a verb, an action word that is very important. When Jesus is defending Mary against Marta’s criticism, He says, and this is the important verb, “Only one thing is necessary,” Jesus says, “Mary has chosen”, has “chosen” the better part. “She has chosen to be here.”
We need to choose. We need to choose to pray. Young people, our lives are a series of choices. In fact, our day is a series of choices. “What am I going to wear after I get home from school?” When am I going to do my homework?” we’re making the choices all the time.
Education, especially Benedictine education, is designed to help us to make good choices, to choose like Mary, to pray, to put prayer first, to make a habit of prayer. Because when we repeat choices, they become habits; and that is a great benefit for us. If we have, for example, the habit of saying a prayer before we eat our meals. At first, it's a choice. We choose to pray, but after a while it becomes automatic. We just do it, and it becomes a habit, and we become so strong as a result of that. So, we need to think about our choices.
Educators, you need to help young people to make good choices, because our choices influence our lives.
We are making choices at every moment. “Am I going to listen to this homily, or am I going to daydream.” Right? “Am I going to finish my homily now, or am I going to speak for another half an hour?” All of us are making choices, right? We need to choose for Jesus, with Jesus. Always allowing Him to live in our hearts.
That's what Mary [of Bethany] shows us today, and that's what St. Scholastica shows us by her life: making a good choice.
The famous story, as all of you know, her brother, St. Benedict, asked her to visit him once, she came to the monastery, and they met in a room outside of the monastery, and they were talking about, like we are this morning, about spiritual life. A certain point, Benedict says, “I need to go back to the monastery, Scholastica. It's getting late.” Scholastica says, “No. Let's continue to talk. Let's continue to talk, because this is so beautiful to reflect on our spiritual lives.” Then Benedict said, “No, I have to go.” Then, since Scholastica put her hands together, put her head down, and began to pray to God, that God would allow that conversation to continue. Then a huge storm came, thunder, lightning, and hail, and rain; and Benedict couldn't leave. He had to stay there. Scholastica said to him, “Listen, Benedict, I asked you, and you didn't listen to me. I asked God, and He did listen,” and they continued to talk through the night. So, Benedict made a choice to leave Scholastica, but that choice was changed by Scholastica’s prayer.
Prayer is the foundation of everything. Brothers and sisters, we need to be people who pray. We need to be people who receive the life of God in the sacraments. Because when our interior life is strong and sound, everything else follows from that; and we achieve that beautiful balance between ora et labora, between prayer and work.
So, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ: for me as the papal nuncio, it gives me a lot of joy to be with you, especially the young people, the Scholasticans, the students, because this school is really all about you. You are the reason this school exists. It makes me very happy to be with you this morning.
Let me close by asking you, and reminding you to pray for Pope Francis. Please pray for him. Whenever I go to Rome, the Pope always asks me, “Are you asking the Filipino people to pray for me?” I say, “Yes, Holy Father, I'm asking them to pray for you.” So, remember to pray for the Holy Father, Pope Francis. He relies on your prayers.
May you have a blessed celebration today of Saint Scholastica. Thank you for this 100 Years of Catholic Education here in San Fernando.
May God bless each and every one of you.
Transcribed by Joel V. Ocampo
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