Today in the Traditional Calendar is the Feast of St. Henry, Duke of Bavaria, King of Germany, and Emperor of the Romans.
For many years, now I have had a particular fondness for Royal Saints. The primary reason for this is that, however their prayers may have aided me, their very existence was a sign of contradiction to me. Although, I was always Catholic, I fell deeply into American Conservatism in the early 2000s. I do not just mean I was a conservative. I mean I bought the whole package: America is the best in all things, Democrats are evil, any restrains on Capitalism is Communist, etc. It is no exaggeration to say that I cared more about the words of Rush Limbaugh than the words of the Pope. Even after getting serious about my Catholic Faith and uprooting my sins, I still held on to many of those toxic beliefs, even though I was seeing how at odds they were with the religion I professed.
It was the existence of Royal Saints, of Holy Kings and Queens, that finally broke me out of it. For, to an American Conservative, the very existence of a good king is an impossibility. Kings are evil by nature, according to the American Conservative, and if a king really were a good man, he would abdicate and institute an American-style Republic, which is, of course, the most perfect form of government in all history.
In other words, I had found a point where Americanism and Catholicism unambiguously disagreed. Only one of them could be right.
In the end, it was an easy choice. For while American Conservatism had made me a selfish, miserable, perpetually angry pervert, Catholicism was healing me, making me feel more alive than ever, and turning me into a nicer, more compassionate person.
I became a monarchist and never looked back. That, and the grace of Almighty God, is the reason I have stayed (relatively) sane during the eras of Obama and Trump.
For your informational and devotional use, I present here the Propers of the Mass for this day, cutesy of the wonderful folks at The Divinum Officium Project. All the Propers, save the Collect, are taken from the Common of a Confessor who is not a Bishop (Os Justi). This Mass is used for Priests, Monks, and Laymen of various rank who were not martyred.
Introit Ps 36:30-31. The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom, and his tongue utters what is right. The law of his God is in his heart. Ps 36:1 Be not vexed over evildoers, nor jealous of those who do wrong. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom, and his tongue utters what is right. The law of his God is in his heart.
Collect O God, Who on this day took St. Henry, Your Confessor, to the everlasting kingdom from the throne of an earthly empire; we humbly beseech You, that as You enabled him, protected by the abundance of Your grace, to overcome the temptations of the world, so grant that we, in emulation of him, may shun the allurements of this world and come to You with pure hearts. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.
Lesson Lesson from the book of Ecclesiasticus Sir 31:8 - 11. Happy the man found without fault, who turns not aside after gain, nor puts his trust in money nor in treasures! Who is he, that we may praise him? For he has done wonders in his life. He has been tested by gold and come off safe, and this remains his glory forever; he could have sinned but did not, could have done evil but would not, so that his possessions are secure in the Lord, and the assembly of the Saints shall recount his alms.
Gradual Ps 91:12, 14. The just man shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow in the house of the Lord. Ps 91:3 V. To proclaim Your kindness at dawn and Your faithfulness throughout the night. Alleluia, alleluia. James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been tried, he will receive the crown of life. Alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 12:35 - 40. At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: Let your loins be girt about and your lamps burning, and you yourselves like men waiting for their master’s return from the wedding; so that when he comes and knocks, they may straightway open to him. Blessed are those servants whom the master, on his return, shall find watching. Amen I say to you, he will gird himself, and will make them recline at table, and will come and serve them. And if he comes in the second watch, and if in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants! But of this be assured, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would certainly have watched, and not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because at an hour that you do not expect, the Son of Man is coming.
R. Praise be to Thee, O Christ.
Offertory Ps 88:25 My faithfulness and My kindness shall be with him, and through My name shall his horn be exalted.
Secret
We offer You sacrifices of praise, O Lord, in memory of Your Saints; trusting that by them we may be delivered from both present and future evils. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.
Communion Matt 24:46-47. Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, shall find watching. Amen I say to you, he will set him over all his goods.
Post Communion Let us pray. Refreshed with heavenly food and drink, we humbly pray You, our God, that we also may be helped by his prayers in memory of whom we have partaken. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.
The Life of St. Henry from Office of Matins (Pre-1955):
Henry II., surnamed the Pious, became successively Duke of Bavaria, (in the year 995,) King of Germany, in 1002, and the Emperor of the Romans, in 1014. His hope soared beyond the short enjoyment of a fleeting kingdom, and he aimed at the possession of an unfading crown by living as the loyal servant of the Eternal King. After he became Emperor, he earnestly set himself to the furtherance of the cause of godliness. He restored with new splendor the Churches which had been ruined by the unbelievers, and enriched them with many offerings and possessions. Monasteries and other godly places he either built himself, or endowed them with allowances. He founded out of his own family inheritance the Bishopric of Bamberg, and made it tributary to Blessed Peter and to the Bishop of Rome. When Benedict VIII., who had set on his head the Imperial crown, was an exile, he hospitably received him, and afterwards restored him to his See.
Then he was struck down with a grievous sickness in the Monastery of Monte Cassino, he was healed by an evident miracle through the intercession of St Benedict. He was a princely benefactor to the Church of Rome, for the defense of which he entered into a war against the Greeks, and took again from them the province of Apulia, which they had long possessed. He never undertook anything until he had made it a subject of prayer. And in battle he once saw the Angel of the Lord and the Holy Martyrs (Laurence, George, and Adrian) his patrons under whose protection he had placed his army, fighting for him in front of his line. With the help of God, he prevailed against the tribes of savages more by prayer than by arms. He gave his sister in marriage to King Stephen of Hungary, whom he induced to be baptized, and so brought all that country to believe in Christ. His marriage with the holy maiden Cunegunda is one of the rare instances of the union of two virgins. When he drew near to death, he gave her back inviolate to her kinsfolk.
He managed with great wisdom whatever could tend to the honor and usefulness of the Empire. He left in France, Italy, and Germany, splendid monuments of his godly munificence. The perfume of his saintly life spread its sweetness far and wide, and the glory of his holiness outshone the splendor of his crown. When the work of his life was done, he was called by the Lord to the possession of an eternal kingdom (on the 14th day of July,) in the year of salvation 1024. His body was buried in the Church of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul at Bamberg, and God glorified him by the miracles which began forthwith to take place at his grave. The same being duly proved, Eugenius III. numbered him among the Saints.