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Author Topic: St. Wenceslaus  (Read 511 times)

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Offline poche

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St. Wenceslaus
« on: September 29, 2015, 12:37:15 AM »
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  • St. Wenceslaus, duke of Bohemia, was born about the year 907 at Prague, Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). His father was killed in battle when he was young, leaving the kingdom to be ruled by his pagan mother. Wenceslaus was educated by his grandmother, Ludmilla, also a saint. She taught him to be a Christian and to be a good king. She was killed by pagan nobles before she saw him king, but she left him with a deep committment to the Christian faith.

    Throughout his life he preserved his virginity unblemished. As duke he was a father to his subjects, generous toward orphans, widows, and the poor. On his own shoulders he frequently carried wood to the houses of the needy. He often attended the funerals of the poor, ransomed captives, and visited those suffering in prison. He was filled with a deep reverence toward the clergy; with his own hands he sowed the wheat for making altar breads and pressed the grapes for the wine used in the Mass. During winter he would visit the churches barefoot through snow and ice, frequently leaving behind bloody footprints.

    Wenceslaus was eighteen years old when he succeeded his father to the throne. Without regard for the opposition, he worked in close cooperation with the Church to convert his pagan country. He ended the persecution of Christians, built churches and brought back exiled priests. As king he gave an example of a devout life and of great Christian charity, with his people calling him "Good King" of Bohemia.

    His brother Boleslaus, however, turned to paganism. One day he invited Wenceslaus to his house for a banquet. The next morning, on September 28, 929, as Wenceslaus was on the way to Mass, Boleslaus struck him down at the door of the church. Before he died, Wenceslaus forgave his brother and asked God's mercy for his soul. Although he was killed for political reasons, he is listed as a martyr since the dispute arose over his faith. This king, martyred at the age of twenty-two, is the national hero and patron of the Czech Republic. He is the first Slav to be canonized.

    http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-09-28


    Offline poche

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    St. Wenceslaus
    « Reply #1 on: September 29, 2015, 12:51:33 AM »
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  • Good King Wenceslas looked out,
    on the Feast of Stephen,
    When the snow lay round about,
    deep and crisp and even;
    Brightly shone the moon that night,
    tho’ the frost was cruel,
    When a poor man came in sight,
    gath’ring winter fuel.

    “Hither, page, and stand by me,
    if thou know’st it, telling,
    Yonder peasant, who is he?
    Where and what his dwelling?”
    “Sire, he lives a good league hence,
    underneath the mountain;
    Right against the forest fence,
    by Saint Agnes’ fountain.”

    “Bring me flesh, and bring me wine,
    bring me pine logs hither:
    Thou and I will see him dine,
    when we bear them thither.”
    Page and monarch, forth they went,
    forth they went together;
    Through the rude wind’s wild lament
    and the bitter weather.

    “Sire, the night is darker now,
    and the wind blows stronger;
    Fails my heart, I know not how;
    I can go no longer.”
    “Mark my footsteps, good my page.
    Tread thou in them boldly
    Thou shalt find the winter’s rage
    freeze thy blood less coldly.”

    In his master’s steps he trod,
    where the snow lay dinted;
    Heat was in the very sod
    which the saint had printed.
    Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
    wealth or rank possessing,
    Ye who now will bless the poor,
    shall yourselves find blessing.
    .
    http://www.lyricsforchristmas.com/christmas-carols/good-king-wenceslas/


    Offline poche

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    St. Wenceslaus
    « Reply #2 on: September 29, 2015, 12:52:43 AM »
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  •  think if he were to be alive today Donald Trump and Rush Limbaugh would condemn St Wenceslaus for his "socialism" and "communistic tendencies" in bringing food and firewood to the poor.