It was the year 1141 and the women of Weinsberg, Germany were in despair. What was going to happen to their husbands and their homes?
For many days the combined forces of Frederick, duke of Swabia, and his brother, the emperor Konrad, had laid siege to the castle of Wolf, duke of Bavaria, at the castle of Weinsberg. Finally, Wolf had been forced to surrender.
Back and forth rode the messengers of the nobility, proposing terms, agreeing on conditions, and making arrangements for the winning army to take over the castle. Wolf and his trapped officers and soldiers now had to give themselves up to their fearful enemy.
“What will become of our men, who have fought so loyally for Wolf?” the wives of Weinsberg asked each other. “And what will happen to our families?”
Finally, the women thought of a plan. They sent a message to the emperor Konrad, asking him to promise that he would arrange safe conduct for all the women of the castle. In addition, they asked him to promise that they could keep for their families as many of their valuables as they could carry with them.
Konrad agreed. He, of course, expected the women to leave the castle burdened under the weight of whatever jewels and gold they could haul. But when the women struggled out of the castle gates, their backs bent under the weights they bore, the emperor began to weep.
The wives were carrying their husbands on their backs!
The emperor was so moved that he promised the women that their husbands could go free. Then he invited the women and their husbands to a banquet, and he gave much more generous peace terms to Wolf than anyone expected.
After that, people called the castle mount The Hill of Weibertreue – the Hill of Woman’s Fidelity.
What Jesus said
In his Sermon on the Mountain, Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy,” (Matt. 5:7).
Today’s prayer: “Lord, open my eyes to see the areas in my life where I need mercy myself – as well as all the opportunities I have today to extend mercy to others. Help me to be as generously merciful to others as I would like them – and You! – to be to me.” Amen.
Resource: This and many other good stories can be found in The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories, edited, with commentary, by William J. Bennett (Link to amazon)
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