March 13: Saint Henry the Confessor

Qui evimuo dicentes: domini voluntas fiat. Act 21
We had no choice but to wait, saying "May God's will be done."
De latere suo te reformavit, quando propter te obdormivit in cruce et somnum mortis acceptit.
S. Bern. Serm. 2. de mut. aquae in vin.
Jesus Christ made you as a new creation of his side when he fell into slumber on the Cross, and he tasted the sleep and rest of the dead.

Example: I ask you, oh Lover of God, what rest do you expect to find in death? Death and pain are soft and sweet when they are undertaken with a perfect resignation to the Will of God. Blessed Henry the Confessor is a witness to that. After the death of his father, King of the Danes, he refused the royal scepter to retreat to a life of solitude. The great lords of the realm, being opposed to this action, restored Henry to the throne against his will. His mother, who was so keen to see her son in a position of power, had a change of heart upon his return. She realized that she would not possess total power over the kingdom or even over her son who is now her superior. Henry was also worn to the point of disfigurement by his life of austerity. Horrified by these two images, the mother threw her son into a raging fire. The inferno was kinder to Henry than his mother. The flames dared not harm him and rendered him more beautiful than the finest royal purple. Henry once again defied the world and left it a second time. This time, he headed for Italy to enter into religious life. He died on that journey and joined the Lord in Heaven.

Practice: Lover of God, I am sure that nothing quite wounds you as when you feel that you are mistreated and taken advantage of by people who you had hoped would honor you and treat you with grace. You must not worry, but only accept these occasions as moments for growth. If you keep your heart open in these moments and humbly resign yourself to the Holy Will of God, then He who suffers likewise everyday at the hands of us sinners will make all of your days joyful.