St Wenceslaus: What a Ride

From one sentence to the next of this saint's story, I couldn't predict what was going to happen. He was the son of a king, and when the king died, his mother began her reign of Bohemia. Her name was Drahomira. She began an intense persecution of Christians, which he opposed but could do little about. Then she was deposed, and he became king at age 15. He had been raised by his godly grandmother Ludmilla. He made helping the poor and building the church a priority, and it began to flourish under his care. But his brother Boleslaus (you can't make these names up!) wanted to take his throne, so he invited him to a feast and then attacked him with some other men while he was journeying to the feast and killed him. Just before he died, he prayed for forgiveness for his brother. You can read more about him here.

Thunder bolt and lightning, very very frightening. (this comment brought to you by the song Bohemian Rhapsody)

Family can be trying, can't it? I mean, most of us don't have to deal with relatives who are trying to kill us. But when politics is raised over thanksgiving dinner, sometimes you wonder. What can we do to be more like St Wenceslaus and bring healing to our families?

God, thanks for the wild ride of the life of this saint. St Wenceslaus, pray for us.