St. Adalbert of Prague was a Bohemian-born bishop of Prague who was martyred in 997 while preaching the Gospel to the Prussians.
Life
Adalbert was born in the mid-tenth century to a noble family of Bohemia. His native name was Vojtěch. He studied at Magdeburg and became bishop of Prague around 983.
He tried to renew the faith of his diocese, but opposition was so strong that he left Prague twice and for a time lived as a monk in a Roman monastery. He later went to preach to the Prussians on the Baltic coast and was martyred there in 997. He was canonized in 999 and is especially honored in the Czech Republic and Poland.
Spirituality
Adalbert's spirituality joins a shepherd's sense of responsibility with missionary zeal. He chose the road the Gospel asked of him rather than the easy one, and when rejected he went to sow the seed elsewhere. In the end he bore witness to the Gospel with his life.
Reflection
Sometimes living our faith brings rejection or misunderstanding. Like Adalbert, could we ask the Lord for courage not to lose heart but to set out again?