ExtraOrdinary

On Saturday I was trying to explain to someone that it isn't New Year's in the Catholic calendar, that was months ago, and that we were on the very tippy end of Christmas season and on Monday we begin Ordinary time for a little R&R before we punish ourselves for our sins and then enjoy some Easter eggs.

That's a nutshell version of our doin's.

We go on living, so there is never anything particularly ordinary about Ordinary time, as evidenced by today's question:

Hello Sister,
I've been reading your blog for some months now. I'm Catholic but I have never ask a Saint for his/her help. Since I found your blog I started to learn more about Saints and their lives but I'm still very new in all this and I need some help chosing a Saint for a complete city.

My problem is this, I live in a city where crime and violence is unbearable now. People doesn't want to go out anymore because doesn't matter where you go, something horrible can happen. We've been living like this for 2 years now, we live in war. Nearly 3000 people were murdered, more than a hundred were inocent children.

When I'm on the streets I ask God for protection for the people I see walking on the streets, when I'm in the supermarket or wherever and the military or police enter the place I ask for protection, not only for all who are inside but for them too because some of them are truly doing their job and trying to protect us.

So I'm looking for a Saint who can help us, pray for our protection and guide our earthly soldiers.

P.S I apologize for all my grammar mistakes, English is not my first language.

1:22 PM

I'm glad it finally occurred to you to ask for some saintly intercession because there is no end of help for your monumental problem.

To begin with every city has a patron saint already. If we know the name of your city we'll know the name of its patron saint.

, I always pull out the big guns when things are especially rotten and fly to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

After that, I have an unusual suggestion: The Holy Innocents. These were the babies that were slaughtered by King Herod's men because of the half baked 'wise' men who tipped the evil king off that there was a new king in town. Herod sent out his little army to eliminate every baby boy under the age of two to insure his place on the throne.

The whole idea of a patron saint is that we find someone who has gone through some of the same problems, challenges, pain and suffering, etc. that we are experiencing. These innocent babies certainly had experience with mindless violence. Plus, they must be especially close to Jesus.

Because, you must remember that we are not praying to the Holy Innocents. We are asking them to pray for us, just that way we would ask anyone else to pray for us. We are just picking some people who are right there in Heaven with Jesus.

And...there are a bunch of them, so you'll have all that extra help.

We'll all pray for you, too, won't we, readers.