Go Green - Go Patrick!

As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, I got curious again about just who this person was.  Aside from green beer and shamrocks and Irish jokes, what might his life bring forth within us?

I went searching on history.com, and here’s what I learned about St. Patrick:

It is known that Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D.  That means that this weekend honors his death, not his birth.

At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity.

During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian.

After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. In doing so, he walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a revelation – an angel in a dream told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years.

After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission – to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. (Interestingly, this mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.)

Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the pagan Irish.

There were no literal snakes which Patrick drove into the sea.  It is thought that his strengthening the church of Christ helped eliminate paganism from Ireland – hence, the pagan “snakes” were driven out. The Irish culture has long centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick's life became exaggerated over the centuries.

So if you raise a glass this weekend, raise it to a man of faith, one who endured great hardships at an early age and dangers throughout his life. 

Raise it to a man who followed the guidance of the Lord, even at personal cost to his health and his dreams. 

Raise it to a man who took the traditions and symbols of his culture and used them to honor Jesus Christ. 

Raise it with your toast to Patrick and to the Lord, the maker of all good things: 

Faith n Begorrah!

Pastor Larry