ST. SCHOLASTICA 10TH FEBRUAT 2013

HAPPY PATRON SAINT SCHOLASTICA FEAST DAY 10^TH FEBRUARY 2013 BY OGUN IKECHUKWU

The quest for specialty in the our spiritual cum moral life is a form of Spiritual Scholastica, in which one makes a journey towards holiness and purity of the whole personality. With the feast of St. Scholastica we try to look up to her deliberate consecration of her virginity to God as to remain chaste in mind, heart and body always. The word Scholsatica is from a Late Latin name which was derived from scholasticus meaning "rhetorician, orator". This was the name of a 6^th century saint, the sister of Saint Benedict of Norcia-Italy. Etymologically, rhetoric through Latin is from Greek rhētorikē ( tekhnē ) (the art of) rhetoric, from rhētōr rhetor, which is c.1300 from Old French rethorique, and Latin rhetorice, and from Gk. rhetorike techne "art of an orator" from rhetor (gen. rhetoros) "orator," related to rhema "word" and literally means "that which is spoken" from PIE wre-tor-, from base were- "to speak" (cf. Old English word, Latin verbum, Greek eirein "to say" as verb). Originally and historically about 1300–50, Latin rhētorica was equivalent to Greek rhētorikḕ ( téchnē ) rhetorical (art), replacing Middle English rethorik which was of Medieval Latin rēthorica, Latin rhētorica, therefore, "Rhetoric may be defined as the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion." Ipso facto, being Scholastica, there is need for spiritual persuasion towards sanctity of life as to remain a virgin in mind, heart and body, but even if one is no more a virgin physically or biological, persuasion to remain a virgin spiritually makes one scholastic. Talking about being a virgin does not only implies being a priest, monk or a nun, but remaining chaste through persuasion in any vocation one finds himself or herself, celibate, single or married. Furthermore, it is also highly demanded of friends (boys-girls, men-women, boys-boys, girls-girls) and those on courtship to be chaste always and never to contaminate themselves when they are behind closed doors. This implies that undue relationships and plays ought to be avoided as seen in Sirach 7.