Lent 2014 – Devotion 13

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. A day known for parades, celebrations at Irish pubs, the wearing of green, and the eating of corned beef and cabbage. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Interestingly, however, he was not Irish by birth. He is thought to have been born in Great Britain about 387 C.E. and was a Roman citizen.

Patrick got to Ireland because he was captured by pirates and sold into slavery. He was forced to work as a shepherd. After 6 years in slavery, he escaped. After returning home to Great Britain, he converted to Christianity. While his parents were Christians, he had not been brought up with much religious indoctrination. After becoming Christian, Patrick studied and trained to become a priest.

After having escaped from slavery in Ireland, you would think that the last place he would ever want to go would be back to Ireland. But after he became a priest, he felt led to go back to Ireland to bring the people the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that is what he did. He went back to the land of his servitude. He offered to the people who had held him in slavery the life-giving faith of Jesus Christ. He went to Ireland, to his way of thinking, to rescue the Irish from paganism and save them through faith in Jesus Christ.

While Patrick attracted many people to the Christian faith in Ireland, he was attacked by the authorities. He was threatened. His life was at risk.

In the life of Patrick as we know it, we can see that he truly did try to love his enemy. He went back to Ireland out of love to share the Good News of Christianity. He worked for the good of the very people who had held him as a slave. In this, he truly embodies the gospel.

In Patrick, we also see how he took to heart the gospel teaching of Jesus that to save your life you must lose it. Patrick risked his life to help the people of Ireland. He endured hardship and vilification. He gave his life for the good of others.

For his time and in his way, we can see that Patrick was a person of great faith. He truly sought to embody the way of Jesus. He was committed to shining the light of Christ. He let Christ live in him. On this his saint day, perhaps a more fitting tribute than wearing green and eating corned beef would be to recommit ourselves to truly following the way of Jesus as Patrick did. May we, too, seek to love our enemies and give our lives to the wellbeing of the world.

A prayer attributed to St. Patrick:

Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me.