For three days Henry stood in the snow, a penitent with bare head and feet, in a coarse woolen shirt, shivering, and knocking for entrance. The little entourage arrived at the palace housing the pope in Canossa, Italy, on January 21, 1077, when the cold was severest. The queen and child were lifted and lowered across the icy slopes in rough sledges of oxhide.

Even so, a few days before Christmas Henry left Germany with his wife and infant son, crossing the Alps as a penitent seeking absolution. The winter of 1077 was among the coldest in memory. He finally realized the only way to save his crown was by seeking Gregory’s forgiveness. Henry flew into a rage, storming around for months as his subjects rebelled. The pope excommunicated Henry, dispatching an edict that the emperor’s subjects should no longer obey him. Germany’s emperor Henry IV resisted and tried to replace Gregory. Gregory immediately instituted change, insisting that he-not secular kings-had the prerogative of appointing church leaders in the various nations of Europe. In the eleventh century the church fell into widespread corruption, and a dwarf-size reformer named Hildebrand became Pope Gregory VII. Would you stand barefoot in the snow for three days to receive forgiveness of sin? I’ve really been enjoying these stories again as I’ve ready through this book again this year. Morgan’s book, On This Day: 356 Amazing and Inspiring Stories about Saints, Martyrs & Heroes.

But into the house, into their world, steps twenty-two-year-old Josh Flynn.īarefoot weaves these four lives together in a story with enthralling sweep and scope-a novel that is as fun and memorable and bittersweet as that one perfect day of summer.This holiday season I’m sharing some devotions from Robert J. They have come to escape, enjoy the sun, and relax in Nantucket's calming air. And their friend Melanie, after seven failed in vitro attempts, is pregnant at last-but only after learning that her husband is having an affair.

Her sister, Brenda, has just left her job after being caught in an affair with a student. Vicki is trying to sort through the news that she has a serious illness. Three women-burdened with small children, unwieldy straw hats, and some obvious emotional issues-tumble onto the Nantucket airport tarmac one hot June day. From marriage, infidelity, and the mayhem of motherhood to scandal, tragedy, and illness-three women seek peace and comfort in Nantucket as they cope with life's challenges.

Barefoot by hildebrand