St. John Nepomucene was born in 1330 in Nepomuc, Bohemia, in answer to his parents' prayer. They were poor folk, and in gratitude, they consecrated him to God. John's life as a priest was marked by holiness, which led to his appointment as chaplain to the court of Emperor Wenceslaus, where he converted many by his preaching and example.
One of the people who sought his advice was the virtuous Empress, who suffered from her husband's unfounded jealousy. John taught her to bear her cross with joy, but the Emperor didn't like her piety and tried to force John to reveal her confessions. He threw John into a dungeon and even offered him riches if he yielded, but the Saint refused. The Emperor then tortured him, but John remained silent, only uttering the holy names of Jesus and Mary. On Ascension Eve, May 16th, Wenceslaus ordered the faithful priest to be cast into the river after a final and fruitless attempt to influence him. That night, the martyr's hands and feet were bound, and he was thrown from the bridge of Prague into the Moldau River. Heavenly lights illuminated the water and revealed the Saint's body, which was given a proper burial.
In 1618, Calvinist and Hussite soldiers tried to demolish John's shrine in Prague, but their attempts were all frustrated, and the people who engaged in the sacrilege died suddenly. In 1620, the imperial troops recovered the city by winning a battle that was attributed to John's intercession. When his shrine was opened after three hundred and thirty years, his tongue remained incorrupt, thus giving him glory. St. John Nepomucene is the patron saint of confessors and bridges. His life serves as a reminder of the importance of the Sacrament of Confession and the duty of priests to keep the confessional secrets of their penitents. His legacy reminds us of the importance of standing up for our beliefs and protecting the sanctity of the sacraments.
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.
Prepared and updated by:
Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Penampang, Sabah Malaysia.
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