Saint Wenceslaus or Václav the Good, was the Duke of Bohemia from 921 until his death. His grandmother, St Ludmila, raised him to be a Catholic moral leader. After his father died, his mother assumed control and purged the country of Christian influences. Then the nobles persuaded Wenceslaus to fight her control of the country. Bohemia was eventually divided into two regions, pagan and Christian. He sought unification and peace but it wasn’t meant to be during his life. Wenceslaus was assassinated on his way to Mass by his pagan brother. He is the first Czech saint.
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“Carved with astonishingly minute detail, this rosary bead probably was created with the help of a magnifying lens. When opened, it forms a triptych. On the left is the Journey to Bethlehem and the Nativity; in the center is the Journey of the Magi, complete with horses and camels, followed by their Adoration of the baby Jesus and offering of gifts; and on the right is the Presentation of the Child in the Temple at Jerusalem. The Latin inscription is the text of Psalm 71:10, which refers to kings of Arabia and Saba and is associated by Christians with the Magi.
Adam and Eve appear on the outside of the wings. The Crucifixion of Jesus occupies the lower half of the bead.” source: The Met
“That is why St Paul speaks of conjugal rights as a debt; to show that neither husband nor wife is his or her own master, but rather are each other’s servants. As for you, husband, if a prostitute tries to seduce you, tell her, "My body is not my own, but my wife’s.” And let the wife say the same to any man attempting to undermine her fidelity: “My body is not my own, but my husband’s.” So if neither husband nor wife has power over their own bodies, they have even less control over money.“
“ ‘For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.’ (2Cor. 5:21) In His death, Christ bore the enmity of the whole world. In doing so, He entered into every hatred and element of bitterness in our lives. St. Sophrony said, 'Christ has descended into the lowest hell and is waiting for His friends to meet Him there.’
We cannot know the One who is love apart from love.“
