We are in the weeks of ordinary time in between the Christmas season and the beginning of Lent. Since Ash Wednesday falls early in the calendar this year on February 14, we have less than a month before we start the Holy season of Lent. We have been hearing the story of David and Saul in the book of 1 Samuel this past week. We just heard about David slaying Goliath yesterday. Today, we hear about Saul’s jealousy against David, because of the great love and admiration the people have for him. Saul, out of rage and jealousy, expresses his desire to kill David. Jonathan, Saul’s son, intervenes on David’s behalf. You might think that it would be risky for David to trust Jonathan, to trust Saul’s own son, yet at this point in the tale, things seem to be working out.
We sometimes need intercessors as well. The Church teaches us that the intercessory prayers of the saints, the martyrs of the faith, and Blessed Mary are all helpful in guiding us and leading us along our faith journey. I love learning about the saints, about their teachings and spirituality; they really encourage me and edify me along my faith journey.
We have saints from throughout Church history. One of the saints listed on the liturgical calendar for today is St Prisca, who lived in the middle of the first century. She is believed to have been a teenager who came from a noble family and who was accused of being a Christian in the reign of the Emperor Claudius in the middle of the first century. Legend tells that the authorities tried to kill her by different means, but that she miraculously survived until she was beheaded. A church in her honor on the Aventine hill, one of the seven hills on which the city of Rome was built. May we thank the Lord today for Prisca and all those intercessors we have in the community of saints who help us along our journey.
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