In the year 1126, the city of Magdeburg, Germany, was adrift.
It’s politics were corrupt and it’s people discouraged. When the beloved yet cautious Bishop passed away, the canons of Magdeburg looked for someone saintly—yet safe. They didn’t want someone with the Church challenging their power.
They chose Norbert, thinking he would be too gentle to challenge their power. What they didn’t realize was that they had just invited a thunderstorm into their cathedral. Norbert was holy and gentle, yes, but he was willing to be filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit.
Norbert, already known for radical poverty, initially dreaded the nomination. He had no interest in politics or prestige—his heart burned solely for the reform of the Church and the salvation of souls. But Pope Honorius II insisted, and Norbert obediently accepted.
Upon entering the city, he walked barefoot through the muddy streets, a white-robed Premonstratensian among richly dressed priests.
Within days of his consecration, Norbert began to clean house—literally. He purged the cathedral treasury of its luxuries, replacing golden vestments with simple cloth, and reformed the liturgy to reflect the reverence of the early Church. When priests resisted, he reminded them they had chosen him. “Did you not call me a saint?” he asked. “Then allow me to act like one.”
Norbert would go on to face assassination attempts, exile, and even imperial intervention—but he never backed down from preaching truth or embracing poverty.
His story reminds us: true peace doesn’t come from comfort or power, but from union with God’s will—no matter how disruptive that may seem.
Looking to cultivate that same interior peace in your own life? Take a moment each day with Peace of Soul by Venerable Fulton Sheen—a spiritual classic that helps you face the storms of life with clarity, confidence, and calm. Find it here.
