The obscured life of St. Patrick

One of the things my father loved to do (which has subsequently been passed down to me) is to learn about the origin of holidays.  It is fascinating to me how oftentimes the original intent of these holidays has evolved into something completely different.  This is particularly true when it comes to today’s holiday, St. Patrick’s Day.  Just who is this Saint Patrick?  What is his story?  And why is there a day set apart to celebrate him?

“Patrick, whom almost everyone calls “Saint Patrick,” although he was never canonized by the Catholic Church, was born to a wealthy family in AD 387 in Kilpatrick, Scotland.  His real name was Maewyn Succat.  It was his extensive missionary work in Ireland for which Patrick is famous.  During his thirty years of work there, he supposedly converted over 135,000 people, established 300 churches, and consecrated 350 bishops.  Patrick died on March 17, 461.  For over a millennium, the Irish have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day on March 17.

History records that Saint Patrick, at age sixteen, was captured by Irish raiders and spent several years as a slave in Ireland.  It was during this time that he learned the various rituals, customs, and language of Druids, and it was these people that he eventually evangelized.  Patrick apparently had a dream in which God spoke to him, saying, “Your ship is ready.”  Patrick was then able to escape Ireland by ship.  Shortly thereafter, he experienced another dream in which he received a letter that was labeled the “voice of the Irish.”  When he opened it, he heard the voices of all those whom he had met in Ireland begging him to return.”  (Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/St-Patricks-Day.html)

It is challenging to differentiate what is historical and what is a myth that has developed over the centuries regarding Patrick.  For example, as one source puts it: “A later legend would have it that Patrick rid all of Ireland of snakes.  Snakes were not native to Ireland at the time.  Instead, Patrick rid Ireland of all marauding ways and a cultural and civil barbarianism by bringing…a whole new ethic.”  Furthermore, this author writes, “Some biographers claim definitively that Patrick used the shamrock as an object lesson to teach pagans about the Trinity…there is no evidence, however, for such a claim” (Source: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/who-was-saint-patrick-and-should-christians-celebrate-st-patricks-day/).

Recently, I saw a Nike shirt that said “Be brave, be bold, be you.”  The message of that shirt captures Patrick’s character.  Patrick was brave.  One source states, “Patrick had no less of a goal than seeing pagan Ireland converted.  These efforts did not set well with…the pagan king of…Ireland.  Patrick faced danger and even threats on his life.  He took to carrying a dagger.  Yet, despite these setbacks, Patrick persisted” (from the same Ligonier article again).  That’s bravery right there!

Patrick was also bold.  Once again, that got questions.org article states, “During his thirty years of work there, he supposedly converted over 135,000 people, established 300 churches, and consecrated 350 bishops.”  God called Patrick to a hard task: share the love of Jesus to the very people who captured him and forced to spend several years of his life as a slave.  He could have said no.  But he demonstrated a brave, bold obedience to God; I want to be like that.  That’s what I celebrate this day.  I celebrate the contributions to the Kingdom of God made by Saint Patrick.   

Kevin

"God is in the filling business"

There is an amazing verse in Matthew 5.  Jesus, in a section that is referred to as the Sermon on the Mount, said these profound words: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled (verse 6).”  From the outset, let me state that I could say so much more about this verse.  To fully unpack it would probably take 4 or 5 blogs.  I do hope that what I have for you today will impact you as deeply as it has me.

First of all, notice that Jesus speaks of two powerful motivators: hunger and thirst.  I know very well what it is to be hungry and thirsty.  They are desperate longings.  Nothing else matters until the thirst and hunger is quenched.  God made us that way, and this is true not only physically but also spiritually.

I read a sermon on this text from John Piper (https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/blessed-are-those-who-hunger-and-thirst-for-righteousness) ); at one point, he said,

“God has put eternity in our hearts and we have an inconsolable longing…many of you here this morning are like this.  Your soul is hungry and your heart is thirsty.  You feel an insatiable longing for something.  You are restless.  Almost everywhere you turn, the grass is greener than where you stand.  And the great tragedy for some of you is that even though this is the Spirit of God beckoning you to himself, you turn away again and again to… temporary pleasures…And everything turns to ashes in your hands.  The thrill of lust leaves the sediment of guilt and loneliness.  The drugs and alcohol can’t keep you from waking up in the real world again and again with your messed-up relationships.”

 

There is a haunting line in the song Blessings by Laura Story: “What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy?”  One author puts it this way: “God is in the filling business.  In fact, the word “fill” means to be satisfied in the sense of being stuffed after a sumptuous meal.  If you are eating the junk food of the self-centered life, you’ll never be satisfied.” (source: https://newsok.com/article/3857185)  This would be a very good place for an “amen”.  Or as Oswald Chambers said (from the same just cited article): “There is only One Being who can satisfy the aching abyss of the human heart and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Kevin 

"Today is a gift, that's why it's called the present"

Somebody once wrote, “Yesterday is history; tomorrow is a mystery; today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present.”  I spent too much time researching where this quote originated, and I was unable to find a definitive answer.  But the point of the quote still remains.  The Bible says, “You don’t know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”  There are examples of this fact everywhere.  As I was putting all this together, I heard the news that actor Luke Perry passed away as a result of a massive stroke, he was 52 (https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/04/us/luke-perry-dies/index.html).

I’ve been watching the very first season of the show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (from the year 1993).  It is bittersweet to watch because some actors from that season have since passed on.  For example, Thuy Trang, the original Yellow Ranger, passed away back in 2001 from a car crash, at the young age of 27 (that information can be found here).  Robert Manahan, the man who voiced Zordon for 5 years passed away in the year 2000; he was only 43 (Robert Manahan/Zordon info).  I could go on, but I’m going to stop there.  As I said, it's everywhere, and it can quickly exhaust you emotionally.

Tim Tebow in his newest book This is the Day writes, “Life is a gift.  Each day is precious – and at times fleeting.  Pain and tragedy are constants in our time on earth…Things happen that we do not understand…This is sad and yet very real.  We can’t control the path or the magnitude of whatever the storms or disasters come our way.  We can’t anticipate our losses.  And we can’t hold on to the promise of tomorrow.  So what’s something we can do?  We can this day celebrate the ones we love.  We can create special moments with them.  We can say “I love you.””

My mother, Rose Mary, is going to celebrate a birthday this week.  While these milestone events are still bittersweet (you just don’t get over the loss of the love of your life in 3 and a half years), they are to be celebrated.  I want to publicly inscribe that I celebrate my mom.  I say what I’ve previously stated in this blog: I love my mom, and I’m proud of her.  I rejoice how God has used the fire of loss and suffering to hone her into a more faithful follower of Jesus.  It’s not easy to walk the road of suffering.  It’s not easy to walk through the valley of the shadow of death.  I feel she deserves to be applauded, esteemed, and celebrated.

Kevin