“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7-8)

This is one of the most beloved lines in all of Scripture. But most people don’t realize how difficult it is to actually live out. Asking, seeking, and knocking are much more difficult than we realize. 

Asking is a risk. Seeking is a risk. Knocking is a risk. They all require humility, vulnerability, and persistence.

The problem is usually not that we ask Jesus for something and receive nothing in response. It is often that we fail to ask Jesus at all, or fail to ask with persistence.

Saint Scholastica knew how to ask Jesus with humility and persistence. This is on vivid display in her last meeting with her twin brother, Saint Benedict. 

After a day spent in prayer and conversation with Scholastica, Benedict prepared to return to the monastery, adhering to the strict rules of his monastic order.

Scholastica sensed she would not see her brother again before dying, and asked him to stay the night with her. But Benedict refused.

So Scholastica turned to Jesus in prayer. She clasped her hands together, bowed her head, and asked him for one last night with Benedict. She would not move from this position, asking Jesus again, and again, and again. Benedict, not wanting to leave her like this, waited for her to stop.

Finally, she lifted her eyes to heaven, and her prayer was answered in an unexpected way. A severe thunderstorm erupted, unleashing torrential rain, thunder, and lightning, making it impossible for Benedict to return home.

Benedict was astonished. “God forgive you, sister,” he said. “What have you done?” Scholastica replied calmly, “I asked a favor of you, and you refused it. I asked it of God, and he has granted it.”

So, Benedict stayed, and they spent the entire night talking about Heaven. Scholastica passed away just a few days later.

When you desire something from Jesus, be courageous and persistent in asking him. Humbly ask him again, and again, and again. In one way or another, Jesus will fulfill his promise.

Patron Saint of: Benedictine Nuns, Education, and Convulsive Children

Symbols: Rain and A Flying Dove

Feast Day: February 10

Feast Day Shared By: Saints Zoticus, Hyacinth, and Amantius