St. Nicholas of Flüe biography: Patron Saint of Switzerland and Peacemaker of Nations

di Rev. Fr. David Solanyx (Autore)

David Solanyx, 2025

What would you give up for God? Your comfort? Your career? Your family? In 1467, Nicholas von Flüe walked away from everything. At age fifty, this successful Swiss farmer, respected judge, and father of ten descended into a mountain gorge and stopped eating. For the next twenty years, he survived on nothing but the Eucharist—a fast so impossible that authorities placed him under surveillance for a month. They never caught him eating. But this medieval hermit wasn't just practicing extreme asceticism. He was about to save a nation. THE HERMIT WHO CHANGED HISTORY In December 1481, Switzerland stood on the brink of civil war. Delegates met at Stans to prevent the catastrophe, but negotiations collapsed. In desperation, a priest descended into Nicholas's gorge seeking help. The hermit hadn't left his cell in fourteen years—and he wouldn't leave it now. But he gave the priest a message. Within hours, enemies reconciled. The Swiss Confederation was saved. The man who had abandoned politics to pray had just changed history with a single word of wisdom. A BIOGRAPHY FIVE CENTURIES IN THE MAKING This is the first comprehensive English biography of St. Nicholas of Flüe—Switzerland's patron saint, the mystic whose visions left him physically scarred, and the peacemaker whose intervention at Stans became legend. You'll discover: • His complete life story: farmer, soldier, husband, father, judge, hermit, and saint • The truth about his impossible twenty-year fast—verified, examined, never explained • Dorothy's story: the wife who sacrificed everything to support his calling • The mystical visions that marked his spiritual journey • How one message prevented Switzerland's civil war • Nine days of prayers and novenas to seek his intercession • The meditation wheel he used—and how you can pray with it today • Why his radical simplicity challenges modern consumer culture • His peacemaking wisdom applied to contemporary conflicts • Complete pilgrimage guide to the Ranft and Swiss sites THIS ISN'T COMFORTABLE CHRISTIANITY This biography doesn't sanitize Nicholas or avoid hard questions. Was he right to leave his family? How do we reconcile calling with responsibility? Can we trust miracle claims? What do we do with a saint whose choices disturb us? But it reveals why Nicholas matters urgently today—in a world drowning in possessions yet starving for meaning, torn by conflicts yet desperate for peace. WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR: . Catholics seeking to understand one of the Church's most unusual saints . Protestants curious about a Christian witness that crosses denominational boundaries . Anyone struggling to balance faith with family responsibilities . Seekers wondering if radical devotion to God is still possible . Those who question whether prayer actually changes anything THE CHALLENGE Nicholas von Flüe proved that one person completely surrendered to God can change history. His fast showed that life depends on divine provision, not material abundance. His wisdom demonstrated that spiritual depth produces practical solutions. His life testified that the Gospel's demands are real, not metaphorical. Five centuries later, the hermit of Ranft still asks the same uncomfortable question: What if Jesus meant what He said? "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." — Matthew 16:25 D

• Autore: Rev. Fr. David Solanyx
• Anno edizione: 2025
• Editore: David Solanyx
• Formato: EPUB2 con DRMFREE
• Lingua: Inglese
• Compatibilità: Tutti i dispositivi (eccetto Kindle)
• Layout: Reflowable
• EAN: 9798231601325