Dear Eddie, Today, once again, God has granted that both of us are still alive on the anniversary of our namesake.\u00a0 Let us thank him together for the wonderful (and often overlooked) gift of existence. I am pleased to hear of your plans to go into civil service (though I can\u2019t say I agree with your decision to dive right into law school after you graduate this year \u2013 you will need more than book-learning to be a worthy political leader).\u00a0 May I be so bold as to recommend you one, little thing, in honor of St Edward? As you know, Edward lived in exile until he was forty years old, when finally his rightful sovereignty was reestablished and he came to sit on England\u2019s throne.\u00a0 As you also know, he ruled with such equity and prudence that ever afterwards England\u2019s folk recalled his days with longing.\u00a0 Under his prayerful and gentle scepter, war was all but banished from the volatile island, and the rambunctious nobles were pacified (not least because of his judicious marriage to the beautiful and pious Edith, daughter of the brutal and ambitious Earl Godwin, who had previously murdered Edward\u2019s brother Alfred).\u00a0 Economic prosperity coupled with religious fervor gave England a truly golden age under Edward, the king who won the hearts of all his people.\u00a0 But you can read all about his diplomatic and domestic policies in any good history of England.\u00a0 I am rather interested in the secret source of his virtue and wisdom: he attended daily Mass.\u00a0 Even on his extended hunting trips (his favorite pastime), which often kept him in the wilderness for days on end, he arose each morning to offer himself anew with Christ in the sacred mysteries.\u00a0 A soul who stays close to Christ in the Eucharist, fills his mind each day with the torrent of doctrine flowing from the liturgical prayers and readings, and unites his own longings and efforts to Christ\u2019s on the altar is guaranteed a fruitful life.\u00a0 You can bank on it, and St Edward is one of many cases that prove it. So I would humbly advise you to start attending Mass daily.\u00a0 Don\u2019t wait.\u00a0 The devil will put up obstacle after obstacle to make sure you keep delaying \u2013 and then years will pass, years in which you could have been soaking your every thought and decision in the sweet grace of God.\u00a0 Years in which you could have been filling your heart and mind with the light and strength that made St Edward into such an effective ruler and exemplary follower of Christ.\u00a0 Make the time, my dear nephew; you won\u2019t regret it. Sincerely, Uncle Eddy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Eddie, Today, once again, God has granted that both of us are still alive on the anniversary of our namesake.\u00a0 Let us thank him together for the wonderful (and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":145992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3719],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-142255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncle-eddy"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"","pp_force_visibility":null,"pp_subpost_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_force_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_subpost_visibility":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n