St.Patrick -A Man Worth Celebrating

"St.Patrick and a King", miniature from a manuscript, "Golden Legend of Jacopo Da Voragine" (c..1260)

St. Patrick of Ireland -A Man Worth Celebrating 

There are plenty of stigmas, prejudices, and short-sighted assumptions about the Irish even in our "modern" society. This time of year brings about what seems to me as the most transparent manifestation of these misconceptions and even rather insulting ideas. Don't worry -I am not here to lecture on racial appreciation or cultural sensitivity -not today, anyway. I simply ask that you consider the forthcoming holiday to examine and study the true nature of and celebration behind St.Patrick's Day and why the Irish hold St. Patrick so dear in their culture and religion. Being a history buff and abnormally ardent concerning all things Irish, I could write a small novel on St.Patrick and perhaps someday I will attempt that. At this moment in time my baby is fussy and teething, my boys are playing tag with a rubber bat, and I have dishes practically scraping my ceiling, so I must make this rather short. Instead of diving deeply into St.Patrick's history, here is an outline of some basic (and I type "basic" with thick sarcasm as nothing this man did was basic or ordinary) accomplishments of this inimitable man that the whole world knows for at least one day of the year. 

St. Patrick basic timeline: 

-373 Patrick, is born along the banks of the river Clyde in Roman England to a wealthy Roman family. His Latin name, Patricius, means "noble of the Patrician class" -the group who ruled over Rome and founded the city of Rome a thousand years earlier. In his document, Confession, he claims he was a rebellious youth and inclined to be atheist or at least anything opposite the religion of his fathers.

-389 Patrick is captured by professional slave raiders and sold in Ireland.: Ireland was the most feared place to be a slave because it was inhabited by brutes and murderers (sounds harsh, but they were pretty unruly over there). 

-His owner set Patrick as a shepherd. This may sound idyllic to us, but it was a nightmare of a job. There were basic duties of the job such as sheering, leading to market, castrating the young males, and slaughtering them in autumn for meat. The worst of the job is that you were set out in the wilderness far from any inhabitants, and you had to fend for yourself and your flock. In early Ireland wolves were rampant and preyed upon sheep. Patrick was responsible for fighting off packs of wolves all on his own. Patrick was also required to sit outside rain, shine, or snow for days and sometimes for weeks on end to let the sheep graze long enough to lead back to market. While he was in captivity, he was overcome with loneliness and longing for his family and previous home. It was in his darkest hours in the fields that he began to do something he refused to do before -pray. Here is a paragraph from his Confession: 

"God used the time to shape me and mold me into something better. He made me into what I am now-someone very different from what I once was, someone who can care about others and work to help them. Before I was a slave, I didn't even care about myself." 

-395 Patrick converted to Christianity and escaped slavery to return home to England.: So yeah, this is an amazing account in itself. Failing at escaping from slavery was punishable by death or, at least, imprisonment. Patrick claims that God came to him in a series of dreams -in the last one telling him "...your ship is ready." The voice apparently even told him where to find the ship. He set off in the night and had to travel in darkness and swimming in rivers to avoid being traced. He could have covered no more than 5-10 miles a day until he made his way down to Waterford port where there was a ship. Patrick asked the captain to be a passenger, and the captain promptly said no. Patrick was distraught and prayed that God would change his mind and sure enough, the captain came back moments later with a change of mind. 

-On the journey through Britain and back to his native town, another incredible thing took place which Patrick accounts for in Confession. The group Patrick traveled with crossed through war-wasted lands of the north and were taken back at how barren the place was. There were no people, no animals, and everything was burnt to the ground. Sans food, the group was beginning to weaken. The leader of the group called out Patrick and this conversation followed:

"We didn't have any food,and hunger was making everyone weak. The next day the captain said to me: "Well Christian, what are you going to do? You say this God of yours is so great and powerful -why don't you pray to him for us? We're dying of starvation? I don't think we will see another living soul again." But I answered him with great confidence: "Just turn with your whole heart to the Lord God, because nothing is impossible for Him. Today, He is going to send food on our path, plenty to fill your bellies." A while later, a herd of pigs crossed the road in front of our group and later on we found a stash of honey."

-Once Patrick made it back to his village, he was welcomed home lovingly by his family. Again, from Confession:

"So after many years, I finally returned home to my family in Britain. They took me in- their long lost son -and begged me earnestly that after all I had been through I would never leave them again."

-Upon arriving home, Patrick begins to train as a priest in some regard, at least becoming familiar with the Bible. He then claims to have several visions in which the people of Ireland (who are Pagan at this time) call to Patrick to come back and preach. His family is devastated, but won't hinder what he feels is his calling. 

-What follows this timeline of events is the period in Confession in which there are many missing years and in which we do not know where Patrick was or what he was doing. We may assume he was training in Rome or some other theological venue, but nobody can know for sure. The only documentation available is from a medieval saying attributed to St.Patrick, "I had the fear of God as my guide as I journeyed through Gual, Italy, and the islands of the Tyrrhenian Sea."

-405 St. Patrick returned to Ireland -anointed and deemed the Bishop of Ireland by Pope Celestine. He was received with mixed feelings into a land of Pagan kings and tribal feuds. Patrick had one possession with him, the Latin Bible.

-405-430 Patrick taught the native Irish with love and compassion. He used symbols in nature to explain the Trinity -which appealed to nature worshiping Druids. The clover is the most famous natural symbol Patrick used to explain the Godhead. 

-During his ministry, Patrick was threatened, chased, and seized many times by kings and chieftains for his preaching, but each time he reached peaceful agreements and was released -often converting his captors.

-Patrick also provided sanctuaries for battered and desolate women and children, while befriending the men and lay kings of the land.

-Patrick also oversaw the construction of many churches and converted many women to be nuns. Patrick was particularly repulsed at the treatment of female slaves. In Confession he writes: 

" Sadly of such women, the ones who suffer the most are the slaves. They face rape and constant threats but suffer this abuse bravely. God gives these women the grace to follow courageously in His path even though they are forbidden to do so." 

-Patrick converted thousands to Christianity, settled quarrels between feuding tribes, ended human sacrifice, provided safe havens for the poor and hungry, befriended the locals, and perhaps most poignantly -ended (or at least makes unpopular) slavery in Ireland. 

-Patrick was THE FIRST Christian to convert a Pagan nation WITHOUT bloodshed or war. Christianity had, up to this point, only come through conquering, oppression, and death. Patrick was a true PEACEMAKER.  Patrick also found ways to meld Christianity and Pagan beliefs together in a fairly respectful way so as not to abolish the culture he stepped in to. This respect, to appreciate the native people and take the beauty they possessed rather than deem it all evil and worthless, resonated with the Irish and in turn made many more converts. After all, we Irish don't take kindly to being told we are wrong and gross. ;-)

-One of the greatest things Patrick did for Ireland was to teach the written word! Prior to Patrick's arrival, all the Irish history was oral and only passed on by Ollamhs (the scholars and history keepers of the courts.) Patrick taught the people how to write and read -which eventually turns the Irish into the most notable and skilled scholars in all of Europe. Irish scholars are eventually found in royal courts across Europe as wise men. As a result of this immense education and the teaching of St.Patrick, the monks in Irish monasteries undertook the largest translation of European and religious literature in history. These translations are all that survive the fall of Rome and therefore are responsible for the Irish saving the literary world from total devastation of nearly all historical and ancient European texts. (See book, How the Irish Saved Civilization).

-Near the end of his ministry, news of Patrick's immense success reached Rome and several other bishops become very jealous of Patrick's success. They conspired against him and planned to overthrown his ministry and perhaps kill him if given the chance. Patrick fled and spent the remainder of his days in Ireland.

-Sometime between 460-490 ( debated with much speculation) Patrick died in Caledonia, Ireland. He wished to be buried in an unmarked grave. 

As you can see, the life of this man was remarkable no matter what faith or philosophy you belong to. Patrick was a patron of peace and love. He found a way to incorporate the customs and traditions of the native people into something that he believed brought greater good to a people he genuinely cared about and adopted as his own. One quote in Patrick's famous, Confession, portrays the nature of his heart and mission.: 

" I came to Ireland to preach the good news... I have had many hard times even to the point of being enslaved again, but I have traded my free birth for the good of others." 

I hope that on this St.Patrick's Day, you personally take a moment to reflect on something deeper than the drink, the food, the music, and the wonderful noise of such a jolly holiday. Let us reflect upon a man who was trying his best to bring peace to a scary and tumultuous world. A man who used logic, peace, service, knowledge, and love to bring his message instead of using violence. A man who humbly begins his most prominent document left for the world to read with the words: 

"I am Patrick -a sinner- the most unsophisticated and unworthy among all the faithful of God. Indeed, to many I am the most despised." 

If anyone wants to read St.Patrick's Confession, here is a link to a decent version of it.: http://www.cin.org/patrick.html

The Breastplate of St.Patrick is also beautiful: http://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/st-patricks-breastplate.html

 Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit!  Happy St. Patrick’s Day to You!