St. Henry the Emperor

St. Henry the Emperor - Patron of Benedictine Oblates - July 15th

Henry was Duke of Bavaria when one night he had an unusual vision. St. Wolfgang, who had been his beloved teacher when he was a boy, appeared to him and pointed to the words, “After six” written on the wall. What could that mean? Perhaps Henry was to die in six days? With that thought, he prayed with great fervor for six days, only to find himself alive and in perfect health. Perhaps it meant six month? The good Duke devoted himself to doing good more than ever. At the end of six months, he was healthier than before. So he decided he had six years to get ready for a holy death. But instead of dying after that time had passed, he was elected Emperor of Germany, and then he understood what the vision had meant.

As Emperor, Henry worked hard to keep his people happy and at peace. To defend justice he had to fight many wars, but he always won, since before every battle he prayed and made his soldiers pray. He preserved both his purity and his humility, even though as Emperor, he received great honor and power. He and his wife, St. Cunegundes, lived as brother and sister, and when they went to Rome to be crowned Emperor and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, it is said that Jesus rewarded Henry for his purity and justice with a wonderful vision. The Saint was praying in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, when he saw Our Lord Himself, Jesus the Eternal Priest, offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!

Even when we are very busy, we should stop a few minutes now and then, to say a prayer for the salvation of our souls.

St. Ignatius of Laconi

St. Ignatius of Laconi - May 11th

Ignatius was the son of a poor farmer in Sardinia. Though he was a sickly boy, he worked hard in the fields to help support the family of eleven. When he was about seventeen, he fell ill, and promised to become a Franciscan if he should get better. But when the illness left him, his father said, “We did not promise to do anything in a hurry. It’s the same whether you keep your promise today or next year.” A couple of years later, Ignatius was almost killed when he lost control of his horse. Suddenly, however, the horse stopped and trotted on quietly. Ignatius was convinced, then, that God had saved his life, and he made up his mind to become a religious at once.

Brother Ignatius never had any important position in the Franciscan Order. For fifteen years he worked in the weaving shed of one monastery and then for forty years, until he died at the age of eighty, he was out on the road as a begging friar. Sometimes doors were slammed in his face, sometimes the weather was bad, and always, there were miles and miles to be walked. Yet Ignatius held himself erect, kept calm and cheerful, and did good everywhere he went. He visited the sick, made peace between enemies, converted sinners, and advised people in trouble. He especially loved children, and they loved him so much.

There was one house from which Brother Ignatius never begged anything. The owner was a rich moneylender who made the poor pay back much, much more than they could afford. This man felt humiliated because Ignatius never came to beg from him, and he complained to the Superior of the monastery. The Superior ordered Brother Ignatius to go to that house, because he did not know what kind of man the moneylender was. The Saint obeyed and brought back a large sack of food. It was then that God worked a miracle, for when the sack was emptied, blood dripped out! ‘This is the blood of the poor,” explained the Saint. “That is why I never ask for anything at that house.”

The seventh commandment of God is: “Thou shalt not steal.” Let us be honest and keep our conscience clean, not only when it is a matter of big things, but even small things, such as stealing apples from a neighbor’s tree or by cheating on a test in school.