(c.1340-1393) John Nepomucene, or John of Nepomuk, was born in Nepomuk, Bohemia, modern-day Czech Republic. He studied canon law and became vicar general of the cathedral in Prague. The Archbishop of Prague supported the real pope in Rome, while King Wenceslaus IV supported the antipope in Avignon. When the king tried to take the revenue of a Benedictine abbey in the archdiocese, the Archbishop refused and the king had all of his subordinates arrested, including John. John was thrown from a bridge and drowned in the Vltava River for remaining loyal to his Archbishop.
200 years after his death, a legend arose of John being martyred for refusing to tell the king the queen’s confession and he became a symbol for the seal of the confessional. Have you guarded the stories of others in your fellowship or in a sponsorship relationship?
“O God, Whose Church the unconquerable sacramental silence of blessed John has enriched with yet another martyr’s crown, grant that, we may set a guard upon our tongue, and be ready to endure any suffering the world can afflict, rather than risk the loss of our soul” (Collect prayer for the memorial of Saint John Nepomucene).
Reflection by Brad Farmer