Saint Patrick
Dan Kunz
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
The rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Whether you are Irish or not, this traditional Irish prayer is a “keeper”! As St. Patrick’s Day once again rolls around, it may serve all of us well to remember our own “Saint Patrick”.
According to the Internet, source of all wisdom (kidding), Saint Patrick has a lot of folklore and traditions surrounding him, but not much is verifiable. As a matter of fact, even his autobiography, Confessio, has been questioned by some for its truthfulness. Nevertheless, Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated by a lot of people, all over the world. Let’s look at a few facts and a few traditions.
Patrick (not his original name) was born in England in 386. In other words, he wasn’t Irish. He was supposedly kidnapped at the age of sixteen by Irish raiders as the Roman Empire, especially in its farthest reaches, was becoming weaker. He was taken to Ireland and forced to tend sheep. According to his autobiography, he was visited by an angel and helped to escape, eventually returning to England. After receiving religious instruction and becoming a bishop, he chose to return to Ireland, the place of his captivity, to bring Christianity to the pagan country. Although he is referred to as “Saint” Patrick, he was never canonized by the Catholic Church. He is said to have driven the snakes from Ireland, but Ireland had very few, if any, snakes. (Perhaps this is a reference to eliminating heathen practices.). He is also said to have used the shamrock, a three-leafed plant, to teach the concept of the Trinity. Patrick died on March 17, 461 and thus, the date of Saint Patrick’s Day every year. Whether any or all of these things are true really isn’t the point. The one agreed-on fact is that he brought the truth of the Gospel to an entire nation.
So, who is your “Saint Patrick”? Do you know? I recently began to delve into my family tree and was surprised and excited to find at least one branch tracing back to the 1500’s in Germany and other nearby countries. My grandfather on my mother’s side, passed away at the age of 31, leaving behind a wife and four children under the age of seven. It’s that branch of the family tree which I was able to follow. I don’t know how far back in that line our family’s Christian roots go, but somewhere along the line there was a “Saint Patrick”. Somebody shared the Gospel with one of my relatives and, centuries later, I’m a Christian. I never met the person and I don’t even know who they were, but I thank God for them! I’m not Irish (that I know of) and I didn’t find even a twig of my family tree coming from Ireland. Nevertheless, I think I’ll celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, not by drinking a green beer, but by thanking God for every single person along the way, who brought the Gospel to and kept the Gospel in my family tree! Ephesians 3:21 “…to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.”