Hold on Loosely with Blessed Scammacca

Last updated on: May 3, 2014 at 2:49 pm by Leah Libresco

Hold on Loosely with Blessed Scammacca 2014-05-03T14:49:32-04:00 Leah Libresco

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This month, the saint I drew from Jen Fulwiler’s Saint Generatorisn’t actually a saint at all yet. I pulled out Blessed Bernard Scammacca. He turned out not to have a wikipedia page, but, when I went a-googling, I found this in a compendium of lives of Dominican saints:

Bernard Scammacca was born of a noble family at Catania in Sicily. His youth was spent in sinful disorders, but a wound which he received in one of his legs proved the means of his conversion. [Another history notes the wound was received in a duel — L] …On his recovery, he asked and recieved the Dominican habit in the Convent of Catania, and henceforth devoted himself to a life of prayer and penance…

[After his death] A nobleman who had been cured through his intecession resolved to remove the sacred remains to his castle, and came by night to the Convent with a troop of armed men to carry out his design. But the servant of God would not allow his body to be removed from the Convent where he had lived and died… the Brethren hurried to the church, where they found the tomb empty, and the sacred body lying at the door, surrounded by armed men who were vainly endeavoring to raise it from the ground. It had miraculously become so heavy that the robbers were unable to move it.

Given my love of the Dominicans here in DC, I’m pleased to have pulled a member of their order for this month. I’m hoping not to have his help making great spiritual progress through physical suffering, so I’d rather focus on that incident with his corpse.

The interesting thing about the nobleman is that he had been doing something right spiritually, but then got too possessive or focused on control. One way that Blessed Bernard Scammacca could be of help to me is by turning my attention to my disposition when I approach prayer or church.

Am I desiring some goods selfishly, for just me? Am I ignoring opportunities to let others share the graces I receive? Do I try to hold on too tightly to whatever good I’ve just received, instead of relaxing and being ready to look at the next problem or gift?

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