Readings & Reflections: Saturday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time & St. Wenceslaus, September 28,2019
Wenceslaus’ father, Duke Ratislav, and his grandmother Ludmila were among the first Catholics of Bohemia. His mother, Drahomira, reverted to her heathen roots. Upon his father’s death, Wenceslaus’ mother had Ludmila murdered, and kindled the animosity of his brother, Boleslaus, toward Wenceslaus’ “gaze never moved from Jesus Christ” (Pope Benedict XVI). The son of the Christian duke Ratislav and a heathen mother, Wenceslaus was born around the year 907 A.D. near Prague. He was still a teenager when he wrested the throne from his mother, who was suppressing the Church. Wenceslaus invited Latin clergy into the country and promoted education in his realm. His policies drew the ire of his brother, who was complicit in Wenceslaus’ murder in 929 A.D. Wenceslaus’ status as a martyr comes from the manner of his death, at the hands of Boleslaus and his associates. When run through by the sword, he responded, “Brother, may God forgive you.” The “eternal” prince of the Czech people, Wenceslaus “had the courage to prefer the kingdom of heaven to the enticement of worldly power” (Pope Benedict XVI). In the year 2000 A.D., the Czech Republic declared September 28 Czech Statehood Day, honoring Wenceslaus, the country’s patron.
AMDG+
Opening Prayer
“Lord Jesus, by your cross You have redeemed the world and revealed your glory and triumph over sin and death. May I never fail to see your glory and victory on the cross. Help me to conform my life to your will and to follow in your way of holiness.” In your Mighty Name, I pray. Amen.
Reading I
Zec 2:5-9, 14-15a
I, Zechariah, raised my eyes and looked:
there was a man with a measuring line in his hand.
I asked, “Where are you going?”
He answered, “To measure Jerusalem,
to see how great is its width and how great its length.”
Then the angel who spoke with me advanced,
and another angel came out to meet him and said to him,
“Run, tell this to that young man:
People will live in Jerusalem as though in open country,
because of the multitude of men and beasts in her midst.
But I will be for her an encircling wall of fire, says the LORD,
and I will be the glory in her midst.”
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!
See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.
Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,
and they shall be his people and he will dwell among you.
The word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12ab, 13
R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd guards his flock.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Gospel
Lk 9:43b-45
While they were all amazed at his every deed,
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Pay attention to what I am telling you.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”
But they did not understand this saying;
its meaning was hidden from them
so that they should not understand it,
and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection 1 – The Son of Man
“Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”
Shortly before Jesus disclosed to His disciples that “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,” the gospel of Luke brought us the glory of Jesus through His transfiguration and the healing of a boy stricken with epilepsy. In both scenarios, the disciples could only marvel at God’s greatness, kept silent and telling nothing of what they had seen. In today’s gospel, as Jesus began to talk of His passion and death, His disciples were stunned and were afraid to ask Him about it.
Loss through death and the related grief that comes with it is one subject that can weigh everybody down. It is something we avoid. We do not want to think about it. This is true, even if death is not physical, like dying to self and one’s own pride. If separation from a loved one can hurt a human heart and devastate even a prayerful man, dying to self is likewise painful.
As the transfiguration of Jesus prefigured His own self surrender that after His cross would be His return to glory, we too should be able to welcome and open our hearts to be humble, die to self and our deceiving pride. God awaits our total surrender to Him of our selves, our hopes and our dreams. We have a truly loving God whose only concern to be with us till eternity. If we give up our all to Him, our return to greatness in God’s eyes will never be withheld and will be upon us!
To choose God means to die to self and live for Him alone so it is no longer the “I” that lives but Him Who lives. In all these we should decide to pay the price, give up all and place Him above all our human values and motivations!
Let us remember that our daily crosses and our “dying to self” are life giving as our Lord Jesus has made the dark door of death into a shimmering gate of life.
Direction
Surrender our lives to God and allow His will prevail. Seek Him through prayer and study of the Word.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, give me the grace so that I may always be able to pay my way into your kingdom. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Reflection 2 – They were astonished at the majesty of God
Do you know the majesty of God? When we ascribe majesty to someone or something we acknowledge greatness in that person or thing and voice our respect for it. The miracles of Jesus revealed the awesome power and majesty of God and his favor and blessing (grace) – especially towards the lowly and humble of heart.
God’s way to victory and glory is through the cross
But with the miracles Jesus also gave a prophetic warning: There can be no share in God’s glory without the cross. Jesus prophesied concerning his own betrayal and crucifixion – but it did not make any sense to the disciples because it did not fit their understanding of the Messiah who was supposed to come and free his people from tyranny and oppression. Little did they know that the way to victory over sin and death would be through the cross and resurrection of Christ.
Our fear of suffering betrays our lack of hope in Christ’s victory
When the disciples heard Jesus’ prediction of suffering and betrayal they were afraid to ask further questions. Like a person who might receive bad news from the doctor about some tumor or disease that could destroy them and then refuse to ask any further questions, the disciples of Jesus didn’t want to know any more about the consequences of possible suffering, defeat, and death on a cross. They couldn’t understand how the cross could bring victory and lead to new life and freedom in Christ.
How often do we reject what we do not wish to see? We have heard God’s word and we know the consequences of accepting it or rejecting it. But do we give it our full allegiance and mold our lives according to it? Ask the Lord Jesus to show you his majesty and glory that you may grow in reverence of him and in godly fear (reverence) of his word.
“Lord Jesus, by your cross you have redeemed the world and revealed your glory and triumph over sin and death. May I never fail to see your glory and victory in the cross. Help me to conform my life to your will and to follow in your way of love and holiness.” – Read the source: https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/sep28.htm
Reflection 3 – The Mystery of Suffering
The Bible struggles with the mystery of suffering and never does completely resolve it. If God is good, why is there evil in the world? Why suffering? The primary biblical answer is that suffering is the result of human sin. By sinning, human beings release evil into the world, and all people, whether guilty or not, are affected by it.
Some biblical authors maintain that suffering is punishment sent by God, a punishment felt by people living decades after the sin. Some prophets, notably Isaiah, suggested that there was redeeming value in suffering. Recall his “suffering servant songs.”
The New Testament proposes that those who suffer do not necessarily deserve their fate, but that suffering provided an opportunity for good. Jesus’ beatitudes (“Blessed are the poor… blessed are they who mourn”) intimate that suffering might be interpreted as a sign of God’s favor rather than a sign of God’s displeasure. And, of course, we have to look long and seriously at the suffering Jesus endured and cherish it as a sign of God’s love.
The disciples were at a disadvantage as they listened to Jesus’ prediction of his suffering and death. If, as they believed, suffering came to those who deserved it because of their sin, then Jesus would obviously be exempt. If Peter really believed that Jesus was the “Messiah of God,” then he could not integrate the idea of a suffering/dying messiah with his conviction that the messiah would overcome evil by the power of God.
God has a different way of looking at things. Jesus would overcome evil by submitting to it. Or, as Paul put it, God made him who knew not sin to be sin (cf. 2 Cor 5:21). The suffering Christ, suffering out of love, released a powerful force for good, counterbalancing the force of evil released by sin. We have not resolved the mystery of suffering, but we can say that in the divine economy, if evil brought suffering into the world, suffering can bring good. St. Augustine said, “God allows evil and suffering only to the extent that he can bring goodness from it.” (Source: Norman Langenbrunner, Weekday Homily Helps. Ohio: St. Anthony Messenger Press, September 25, 2010).
Reflection 4 – The Mystery of the Plan of God
Deeper meanings pervade both of today’s reading. In the first reading (Zc 2:5-9, 14-15) Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai during the time after the exile. He speaks about the restored Temple and the rebuilt Jerusalem. His vision portrays a man seeking to measure out the geographical dimensions of the city. An angel responds that this city is on a different level than geography. It is useless to plan because the future is so great that millions of people will be drawn here. This city crosses space and time. It is the very abode of God which He has encircled with fire. The great Jerusalem is the place where God dwells: human hearts and souls. It cannot be confined or measure. It is a city that encompasses every nation and age. It is wider than the Church and smaller than the Church. There are no political or religious boundaries that exactly coincide with it. Its population is composed of those whose hearts are opened to the Lord. He alone knows their number.
In the gospel (Lk 9:43-45), Jesus’ prediction of suffering did not fall on deaf as much as on uncomprehending ears. What it meant for the Messiah to suffer contradicted everything they had ever been told or taught to expect. Perhaps, in some incipient way, the disciples realized they were in the presence of mystery. They did not pursue the point with the Lord. Later, the meaning of His words would become very clear. They would see His exact meaning played out before their eyes. Only after the Resurrection would it all click as they recalled these words and their own amazing incomprehension. So much happens in the Chruch and in our own lives that we cannot fully understand. We know that we are in the middle of great events. All we can do is to have faith that the Lord’s promises to us will be fulfilled. In the end, the rationale of all suffering, pain and joy will be made clear.
Like the new Jerusalem, the plan of God does not submit itself to our precise comprehension and measurement. We are in the presence of mystery that only the Lord will unlock for us in His own time. (Source: Rev. Joseph Krempa. Daily Homilies Ordinary Time. Vol. I. New York: Alba House, 1985, pp. 175-176).
Reflection 5 – United with Jesus in His Passion
“If today all of us are gathered here… it is because we are certain that we will not be disappointed in our faith, for Jesus has gone before us. In his Passion he took upon himself all of our sorrows….
“I am here to tell you that Jesus is Lord; that Jesus does not disappoint. “Father,” one of you may tell me, “he disappointed me because I lost my house, I lost my family, I lost everything I had, I am sick.” What you say is true and I respect your feelings, but I see him there, nailed to the cross, and from there he does not disappoint us. He was consecrated Lord on that throne, and there he experienced all the disasters we experience. Jesus is Lord! And he is Lord from the cross, from there he reigned. That is why… he can understand us: he became like us in every way. So we have a Lord who is able to weep with us, who can be at our side through life’s most difficult moments….
“Many of you looked to Christ and asked: Why, Lord? To each of you the Lord responds from his heart. I have no other words to say to you. Let us look to Christ: he is the Lord, and he understands us, for he experienced all the troubles we experience.
“With him, beneath the cross, is his Mother. We are like that child who stands down there, who, in times of sorrow and pain, times when we understand nothing, times when we want to rebel, can only reach out and cling to her skirts and say to her. “Mother.” Perhaps that is the only word which can express all the feelings we have in those moments: Mother!
“We are not alone; we have a Mother; we have Jesus, our older brother. We are not alone. Be sure that Jesus does not disappoint us; be sure that the love and tenderness of our Mother does not disappoint us. Clinging to her as sons and daughters with the strength which Jesus our brother gives us, let us now move forward.
“Thank you, Lord, for being with us here today. Thank you, Lord, for sharing our sorrows. Thank you, Lord, for giving us hope. Thank you, Lord, for your great mercy. Thank you, Lord, Lord, because you keep ever close to us, even when we carry our crosses. Thank you, Lord, for giving us hope. Lord, may no one rob us of hope! Thank you, Lord, because in the darkest moment of your own life, on the cross, you thought of us and you left us a Mother, your Mother. Thank you, Lord, for not leaving us orphans! (Source: Pope Francis, Magnificat, Vol. 17, No. 7, September 2015, pp. 367-368).
Reflection 6 – “… to be handed over”
“The Son did not give himself for our sins outside the Father’s will, nor did the Father hand over the Son without the Son’s consent. The will of the Son is to abide by the will of the Father, as he himself says in the Psalm, I desire to do your will, my God.
“The Son gave himself to vanquish the unrighteousness within us by his own righteousness, and he handed himself over in wisdom to defeat foolishness. Holiness personified offered itself to erase wickedness; and strength, feebleness.
“Christ has freed us in the future age, according to the promises and hopes in which we put our trust. He also has freed us from the present age, during which we who have died together with Christ are being transformed by a newness of mind. We are not of this world, and he world has no affection for us, and for good reason.” (Source: St. Jerome, +420 A.D., Magnificat, Vol. 19, No. 7, September 2017, p. 405).
Reflection 7 – St. Wenceslaus (907?-929 A.D.)
If saints have been falsely characterized as “other worldly,” the life of Wenceslaus stands as an example to the contrary: He stood for Christian values in the midst of the political intrigues which characterized 10th-century Bohemia.
He was born in 907 near Prague, son of the Duke of Bohemia. His saintly grandmother, Ludmilla, raised him and sought to promote him as ruler of Bohemia in place of his mother, who favored the anti-Christian factions. Ludmilla was eventually murdered, but rival Christian forces enabled Wenceslaus to assume leadership of the government.
His rule was marked by efforts toward unification within Bohemia, support of the Church and peace-making negotiations with Germany, a policy which caused him trouble with the anti-Christian opposition. His brother Boleslav joined in the plotting, and in September of 929 invited Wenceslaus to Alt Bunglou for the celebration of the feast of Sts. Cosmas and Damian (September 26). On the way to Mass, Boleslav attacked his brother, and in the struggle, Wenceslaus was killed by supporters of Boleslav.
Although his death resulted primarily from political upheaval, Wenceslaus was hailed as a martyr for the faith, and his tomb became a pilgrimage shrine. He is hailed as the patron of the Bohemian people and of former Czechoslovakia.
Comment:
“Good King Wenceslaus” was able to incarnate his Christianity in a world filled with political unrest. While we are often victims of violence of a different sort, we can easily identify with his struggle to bring harmony to society. The call to become involved in social change and in political activity is addressed to Christians; the values of the gospel are sorely needed today.
Quote:
“While recognizing the autonomy of the reality of politics, Christians who are invited to take up political activity should try to make their choices consistent with the gospel and, in the framework of a legitimate plurality, to give both personal and collective witness to the seriousness of their faith by effective and disinterested service of men” (Pope Paul VI, A Call to Action, 46).
Patron Saint of: Bohemia
Read the source: http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1152
SAINT OF THE DAY
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God’s invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint.
| WENCESLAUS I, DUKE OF BOHEMIA | |
|---|---|
Statue of Saint Wenceslaus in St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague. The head of the statue apparently fits the measurements of Wenceslaus’ skull.
|
|
| MARTYR | |
| BORN | c. 907 Prague, Bohemia |
| DIED | September 28, 935 Stará Boleslav, Bohemia |
| VENERATED IN | Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church |
| MAJOR SHRINE | St Vitus Cathedral, Prague |
| FEAST | September 28 |
| ATTRIBUTES | Crown, dagger, burning eagle on a banner |
| PATRONAGE | Bohemia, Czech Republic,Prague |
Cardinal Miloslav Vlk with the skull of Saint Wenceslaus during a procession on September 28, 2006
Wenceslaus I (Czech: Václav [ˈvaːtslaf] (
listen); c. 907 – September 28, 935), Wenceslas I, or Václav the Good[1] was the duke (kníže) of Bohemia from 921 until his assassination in 935, in a plot by his younger brother, Boleslaus the Cruel.
His martyrdom, and the popularity of several biographies, quickly gave rise to a reputation for heroic goodness, resulting in his being elevated to sainthood, posthumously declared king, and seen as the patron saint of the Czech state. He is the subject of “Good King Wenceslas“, a Saint Stephen’s Day carol.
Contents
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Biography[edit]
Wenceslas was the son of Vratislaus I, Duke of Bohemia from the Přemyslid dynasty. His grandfather, Borivoj I of Bohemia, was converted by Saints Cyril and Methodius. His mother, Drahomíra, was the daughter of a pagan tribal chief of Havolans, but was baptized at the time of her marriage. His paternal grandmother, Ludmila of Bohemia, oversaw his education, and at an early age, Wenceslas was sent to the college at Budweis.[2]
In 921, when Wenceslas was thirteen, his father died and his grandmother became regent. Jealous of the influence which Ludmila wielded over Wenceslas, Drahomíra arranged to have her killed. Ludmila was at Tetín Castle near Beroun when assassins murdered her on September 15, 921. She is said to have been strangled by them with her veil. She was at first buried in the church of St. Michael at Tetín, but her remains were later removed, probably by Wenceslas,[3] to the church of St. George in Prague, which had been built by his father.[4]
Drahomíra then assumed the role of regent, and immediately initiated measures against the Christians. When Wenceslas came of age, he took control of the government. He placed the duchy under the protection of Germany, introduced German priests, and favoured the Latin rite instead of the old Slavic, which had gone into disuse in many places for want of priests.[2] To prevent disputes between him and his younger brother, Boleslav, they divided the country between them,[clarification needed]assigning to the latter a considerable territory.[4]
Reign[edit]
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After the fall of Great Moravia, the rulers of the Bohemian duchy had to deal both with continuous raids by the Magyars, and the forces of the Saxon duke and East Frankish king Henry the Fowler, who had started several eastern campaigns into the adjacent lands of the Polabian Slavs, homeland of Wenceslas’s mother. To withstand Saxon overlordship, Wenceslas’s father, Vratislaus, had forged an alliance with the Bavarian duke Arnulf the Bad, at that time, a fierce opponent of King Henry; however, it became worthless when Arnulf and Henry reconciled at Regensburg in 921.
In 924 or 925, at the age of 18, Wenceslas assumed leadership of the government, and had Drahomíra exiled.[citation needed] He then defeated a rebellious duke ofKouřim named Radslav.[citation needed] He also founded a rotunda consecrated to St. Vitus at Prague Castle in Prague, which exists as present-day St. Vitus Cathedral.
Early in 929, the joint forces of Duke Arnulf of Bavaria and King Henry I the Fowler reached Prague in a sudden attack, which forced Wenceslas to resume the payment of a tribute which had been first imposed by the East Frankish king, Arnulf of Carinthia in 895. Henry had been forced to pay a huge tribute to the Magyars in 926, and needed the Bohemian tribute, which Wenceslas probably refused to pay after the reconciliation between Arnulf and Henry.[citation needed]Another possible reason for the attack was the formation of the anti-Saxon alliance between Bohemia, the Polabian Slavs, and the Magyars.
Wenceslaus’ assassination: the duke flees from his brother (with sword) to a church, but the priest closes the door. (Gumpold von Mantua, 10th century)
Murder[edit]
In September 935, a group of nobles allied with Wenceslas’s younger brother, Boleslav, plotted to kill Wenceslas. After Boleslav invited Wenceslas to the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Stará Boleslav, three of Boleslav’s companions, Tira, Česta, and Hněvsa, fell on the duke and stabbed him to death.[5] As the duke fell, Boleslav ran him through with a lance.[4]
According to Cosmas of Prague, one of Boleslav’s sons was born on the day of Wenceslas’s death, and because of the ominous circumstance of his birth, the infant was named Strachkvas, which means “a dreadful feast”.[5]
There is a tradition which states that Saint Wenceslas’s loyal servant, Podevin, avenged his death by killing one of the chief conspirators, but was executed by Boleslav.[citation needed]
Veneration[edit]
Wenceslas was considered a martyr and a saint immediately after his death, when a cult of Wenceslas grew up in Bohemiaand in England.[6] Within a few decades of Wenceslas’ death four biographies of him were in circulation.[7][8] Thesehagiographies had a powerful influence on the High Middle Ages conceptualization of the rex justus, or “righteous king”—that is, a monarch whose power stems mainly from his great piety, as well as from his princely vigor.[9]
St. Wenceslas Chapel in St. Vitus Cathedral
Referring approvingly to these hagiographies, the chronicler Cosmas of Prague, writing in about the year 1119, states:[10]
But his deeds I think you know better than I could tell you; for, as is read in his Passion, no one doubts that, rising every night from his noble bed, with bare feet and only one chamberlain, he went around to God’s churches and gave alms generously to widows, orphans, those in prison and afflicted by every difficulty, so much so that he was considered, not a prince, but the father of all the wretched.
Several centuries later the legend was claimed as fact by Pope Pius II.[11]
Although Wenceslas was, during his lifetime, only a duke, Holy Roman Emperor Otto I posthumously “conferred on [Wenceslas] the regal dignity and title” and that is why, in the legend and song, he is referred to as a “king”.[2]
The hymn “Svatý Václave” (Saint Wenceslas) or “Saint Wenceslas Chorale” is one of the oldest known Czech songs in history. Its roots can be found in the 12th century and it still belongs to the most popular religious songs to this day. In 1918, in the beginning of the Czechoslovak state, the song was discussed as one of the possible choices for the national anthem.
His feast day is celebrated on September 28,[12][13] while the translation of his relics, which took place in 938, is commemorated on March 4.[14]
Since 2000, the feast day of Saint Wenceslas (September 28) is a public holiday in the Czech Republic, celebrated as the Czech Statehood Day.
Wenceslaus in legend[edit]
According to one legend one Count Radislas rose in rebellion and marched against Wenceslas. The latter, sending him a deputation, made offers of peace, but Radislas viewed the king’s message as a sign of cowardice. The two armies were drawn up opposite each other in battle array, when Wenceslas, to avoid shedding so much innocent blood, challenged Radislas to single combat. As Radislas advanced toward the duke, he saw, by the side of Wenceslas, two angels who cried to him: “Stand off!” This cry acted like a thunderbolt upon Radislas, and changed his intentions. Throwing himself from his horse, he fell at the Saint’s feet, and asked for pardon. Wenceslas raised him and kindly received him again into favor.
A second enduring legend claims a huge army of knights sleep inside Blaník, a mountain in the Czech Republic. The knights will awake and under the command of St. Wenceslaus and bring aid to the Czech people when they face ultimate danger (see also King in the mountain legends). There is a similar great legend in Prague which says that when the Motherland is in danger or in its darkest times and close to ruin, the equestrian statue of King Wenceslaus in Wenceslaus Square will come to life, raise the army sleeping in Blaník, and upon crossing the Charles Bridge his horse will stumble and trip over a stone, revealing the legendary sword of Bruncvík. With this sword, King Wenceslaus will slay all the enemies of the Czechs, bringing peace and prosperity to the land.[15] Ogden Nash wrote a comic epic poem—”The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t”, loosely based on the same legend—in which a boy awakens Wenceslaus and his knights to save a kingdom from usurpers who have outlawed Christmas.[16]
Legacy[edit]
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Wenceslaus is the subject of the popular Saint Stephen’s Day (celebrated on December 26 in the West) Carol, “Good King Wenceslas“. It was published by John Mason Neale in 1853, and may be a translation of a poem by Czech poet Václav Alois Svoboda. The usual American English spelling of Duke Wenceslas’ name, Wenceslaus, is occasionally encountered in later textual variants of the carol, although it was not used by Neale in his version.[17]Wenceslas is not to be confused with King Wenceslaus I of Bohemia (Wenceslaus I Premyslid), who lived more than three centuries later.
Statue of Saint Wenceslas on the eponymous square in Prague
An equestrian statue of Saint Wenceslaus and other patrons of Bohemia (St. Adalbert, St. Ludmila, St. Prokop and St. Agnes of Bohemia) is located on Wenceslaus Square in Prague. The statue is a popular meeting place in Prague. Demonstrations against the Communist regime were held there.[18]
His helmet and armour are on display inside Prague Castle.[19]
In popular culture[edit]
The 1994 television film Good King Wenceslas is a highly fictional account of his early life. The film stars Jonathan Brandis in the title role, supported by Leo McKern, Stefanie Powers, and Joan Fontaineas Ludmila.[20]
A 1987 BBC radio play by Alick Rowe, Crisp and Even Brightly, starring Timothy West as Wenceslas, is a comic re-telling of the story of the carol, involving a page called Mark and spies seeking the downfall of the King.[citation needed]
Genealogy[edit]
| Bořivoj I born between 852 and 855 died between 888 and 891 |
Saint Ludmila born c. 860 died 15 September 921 |
? | ? | ||||||||||
| Vratislav I born 888 died 13 February 921 |
Drahomíra of Stodory? died po 935 |
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| Václav I born about 907 died apparently 28 September 935 |
See also[edit]
- Crown of Saint Wenceslas
- Sword of Saint Wenceslas
- Statues of Saints Norbert, Wenceslaus and Sigismund
Footnotes[edit]
- Jump up^ Christiansen, Rupert. “The story behind the carol: Good King Wenceslas”, The Telegraph, 14 December 2007
- ^ Jump up to:a b c Mershman,Francis. “St. Wenceslaus.” The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 8 January 2016
- Jump up^ Ott, Michael. “St. Ludmilla.” The Catholic EncyclopediaVol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 8 January 2016
- ^ Jump up to:a b c Butler, Alban. “St. Wenceslas, Duke of Bohemia, Martyr”, The Lives of the Saints, Vol. IX 1866
- ^ Jump up to:a b Newton, Michael. “Wenceslaus I (907-935)”, Famous Assassinations in World History, ABC-CLIO, 2014, ISBN 9781610692861
- Jump up^ Describing the Codex Gigas, a thirteenth-century manuscript from Bohemia in the Swedish National Library in Stockholm, it is stated: “All this bears witness to the outstanding importance of the cult of Vaclav in Bohemia at the time of the Devil’s Bible’s compilation. Moreover, all three festivals are inscribed in red ink, denoting their superlative degree.”
- Jump up^ The First Slavonic Life (in Old Church Slavonic), the anonymous Crescente fide, the Passio by Gumpold, bishop of Mantua (d. 985), and The Life and Passion of Saint Václav and his Grandmother Saint Ludmilla by Kristian.
- Jump up^ Hastening Toward Prague: Power and Society in the Medieval Czech Lands – Lisa Wolverton – Google Boeken. Books.google.com. 2001-07-25. Retrieved2013-11-20.
- Jump up^ “Defries—St. Oswald’s Martyrdom”. Mun.ca. Retrieved2013-11-20.
- Jump up^ Book I of the Chronica Boëmorum, Quoted in Wolverton, op. cit. Not to be confused with Saint Cosmas.
- Jump up^ “Good King Wenceslas”. Kresadlo.cz. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- Jump up^ September 28/October 11. Orthodox Calendar (PRAVOSLAVIE.RU).
- Jump up^ Martyr Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs. OCA – Lives of the Saints.
- Jump up^ March 4/17. Orthodox Calendar (PRAVOSLAVIE.RU).
- Jump up^ Košnář, Julius (2008). Staropražské pověsti a legendy. Prague: Nakladatelství XYZ. p. 289. ISBN 978-80-86864-86-0.
- Jump up^ Ogden Nash, The Christmas that Almost Wasn’t, Little, Brown and Company, 1957OCLC 1211904
- Jump up^ Wencesla-us is the Mediaeval Latin form of the name, declined in the Second Declension.
- Jump up^ “St. Wenceslas Monument in Prague”, Prague.cz
- Jump up^ “Prague Castle: St Wenceslas Chapel”