Congratulations, America, we’ve done it again- taken a
holiday with significant religious meaning and commercialized
it to a point where we don’t recognize God in it at all. Just as Christmas has become about Santa and
presents, and how Halloween covers over Reformation day, St. Patrick’s day has
become a day to drink green beer and talk about Leprechauns, rather than
remembering the man himself, St. Patrick.
Very few Americans know the true story of St. Patrick, yet
we decorate our classrooms with clovers and leprechauns, pots of gold and Irish
flags. We arrogantly use this day as an
excuse to drink green beer, “like the Irish,” assuming that to be the only
purpose of St. Patrick’s Day. But when
you take even just a second to really
think about the significance of this holiday, the idea of green beer and
leprechauns seem completely irrational.
St. Patrick was kidnapped as a young boy and taken as a
slave to the Druid Island of Ireland.
Druids were pagan worshippers- and I don’t just mean that they bowed
down to false idols… Druids were brutal and mystic, with traditions of human
and animal sacrifice preformed to keep the spirits of the “otherworld” from
seeking revenge on the living. Druids
were ruthless, violent, and barbaric. Young Patrick was taken from his wealthy
family in Scotland by Irish Pirates and sold as a slave to a druid farmer. During his 6 years in captivity, Patrick was
nearly isolated, interacting only with the flock of sheep he shepherded on the
side of Mt. Slemish in Northern Ireland.
His isolation caused him to call out to the one person who might hear
him – God. In his autobiography, St. Patrick’s Confession, he wrote that his
time in captivity was crucial to his spiritual development – it was in this
time that the lord showed him mercy and opened his eyes to his need for a
savior. His time as a shepherd
strengthened his relationship with God through prayer, eventually leading to
his conversion to Christianity.
After 6 years of captivity, and crying out to the lord for
help, The Lord answered his prayers. One
night, Patrick had a dream that he was running to the sea, and a boat was
waiting to set sail to Scotland. In the
morning, when he woke up, Patrick knew exactly where he needed to go. He ran towards the Irish Sea, and saw a boat
identical to the one he saw in his dream.
He approached the captain, and offered himself as a free crew hand in
exchange for transportation to Scotland.
The captain turned him down.
Confused, Patrick walked away, unsure of where to go next. Moments later, the Captain changed his mind
and by the grace of God allowed Patrick onto the ship. Finally, Patrick would be reunited with his
family.
Upon returning to Scotland, Patrick continued to study more
and more about Christianity. He was
grateful to be home, but it wasn’t long before the comfort of home would be
ripped from him once more. Several years
after returning to Scotland, Patrick had another dream. In this dream, he received a letter from the
people of Ireland, begging Patrick, a holy servant, to come and walk among
them. Patrick knew what he had to
do.
In an act of selfless obedience to the lord, Patrick left
the comfort of his home and family and returned to the place of Druid
worshipers, where he had been held captive in isolation for six years and
devoted himself to showing them the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. Though he was not initially accepted, St.
Patrick persevered and eventually, the word of the gospel was spread across the
entire island of Ireland because of his obedience to the call of the Lord.
Today, Patrick is known as the Patron Saint of Ireland. In
both the Catholic and Protestant churches of Ireland, St. Patrick is revered as
the first Bishop of the church, and accredited as the man through whom God
spread his word to the nation of Ireland.
All throughout Ireland, St. Patrick is remembered and
honored regularly. Many national symbols
relate back to Patrick’s influence on Celtic Culture. For instance, the Celtic Cross, displayed at
nearly every traditional church in Ireland, was a tool that St. Patrick used to
help the Druids understand that the cross brings life just as the sun brings
life. As they had worshipped the sun
before, the cross was an even greater facet for their affection. The shamrock, or a “three-leaf-clover” is the
national flower of Ireland. St. Patrick
took a small, and common field flower and made it significant by incorporating
it into his teachings on the trinity – Just as the flower has three pedals that
create one flower, so too God has three parts which create one holistic God;
three in one.
St. Patrick’s day has much more significance than we
Americans often let on to. It’s not just
a day to wear green and drink beer; it’s a day to commemorate the life of St.
Patrick – a day to celebrate spiritual renewal and to pray for missionaries
worldwide.
The story of St. Patrick is an example to us of what the
Lord is capable of doing in and through our lives if only we are obedient to
follow the voice of the lord, and to follow where he leads us – despite our own
fear or personal desire. Patrick
returned to a place of torture, but through him, an entire nation came to know
the lord. Imagine what the lord is
capable of doing through you if only you listened to him.
The prayer of St. Patrick:
"I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.
I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
Afar and a-near,
Alone or in a multitude.
Christ shield me today
Against wounding
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation."
The site of the first Christian church in Ireland at Saul
Saul Church and the Celtic Cross- a reminder that the Cross outshines the sun and brings forth eternal life.
St. Patrick's Grave at Downpatrick Cathedral - March 17th is the date of his death.
