Read entire reflection online >>> April 23- Saint Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr—Optional Memorial c. 956–997 Patron Saint of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic Canonized by Pope Sylvester II in 999 Liturgical Color: Red Quote: Adalbert is that evangelical seed which fell to the earth and died, and has brought forth a manifold harvest in all the nations associated with his mission. This was the case of Bohemia, Hungary, the Poland of the Piast, and also of Pomerania, Gdansk, and the people living in this region. After the thousand years which separate us from his death on the Baltic, we are becoming ever more fully aware that the blood of this martyr, shed in these territories ten centuries ago, made an essential contribution to evangelization, faith, and new life. How great is our need today to follow the example of his life devoted completely to God and to the spread of the Gospel. His witness of service and apostolic fervor was profoundly rooted in faith and love of Christ. Of Saint Adalbert we can say with the Psalmist: “His soul constantly thirsted for God, he longed for him like an empty, dry land without water” (cf. Ps 63:2). ~1997 homily of Saint John Paul II in Poland Prayer: Saint Adalbert, you courageously ministered as a good shepherd to the people to whom you were sent. Though you met with continuous resistance, your commitment never wavered. In the end, that commitment resulted in the shedding of your blood. Please pray for me, that I will follow your courageous example and lay my life down for others, no matter the cost. Saint Adalbert of Prague, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: mycatholic.life Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed. Image: Mihály Kovács, via Wikimedia Commons