Saint Patrick

St. Patrick (340-440)

I still remember when I “discovered” St. Patrick. Oh, growing up an O’Rourke I knew about the day, you wear green or get pinched. And I heard the story of how he chased all the snakes out of Ireland. But that was pretty much it.

Then I read up on the man. I was blessed and amazed by what I learned! He was a true-blue believer (duh, Saint Patrick, but the day seemed to be just about green beer…what can I say?), he was a missionary, he was the apostle to Ireland, and the conversion of Ireland under his ministry had a profound impact on western Europe for years to come (both spiritually and in learning).

When I was pastoring I used to emphasize St. Patrick’s Day with articles in the newsletter, we would sing the song he wrote (more on that later this week), and eventually we used an adapted form of the Celtic Liturgy for our communion service.

In the early days in York we had a wonderful brother named Stan. Great guy. He was married to Sue. She was Catholic and attended the Catholic church. Once, when the newsletter came out with the usual story about Patrick, she asked Stan, “Doesn't he know he was Catholic?” I sent word back to her that I did. I have no problem with Patrick – check out his statement of faith below. And his ministry. God was with that man! Besides, he was of the earlier, more apostolic catholic rather than the later Roman kind.

Here is the short version of his life: he was born into a Christian home in Roman controlled Britain (it was still Celtic, the Anglo-Saxons had not come yet). His father was a deacon and his grandfather a priest. When he was a teenager he was captured by Irish raiders and taken back to Ireland where he was a slave for 6 years. While there he was genuinely converted to Christ. Through several visions/dreams he was led to escape. A few years after he escaped he had another vision (not an uncommon part of his spiritual life):

“…in a vision of the night, I saw a man whose name was Victoricus coming as if from Hibernia [his name for Ireland] with innumerable letters, and he gave me one of them, and I read the beginning of the letter: "The Voice of the Hibernians", and as I was reading the beginning of the letter I seemed at that moment to hear the voice of those who were beside the forest of Foclut which is near the western sea, and they were crying as if with one voice: "We beg you, holy youth, that you shall come and shall walk again among us." And I was stung intensely in my heart so that I could read no more, and thus I awoke.”

After much effort he was commissioned and sent to Ireland to preach the Gospel. He did and won the island to Christ!

“I am greatly God's debtor, because he granted me so much grace, that through me many people would be reborn in God, and soon after confirmed, and that clergy would be ordained everywhere for them, the masses lately come to belief, whom the Lord drew from the ends of the earth, just as he once promised through his prophets: 'To you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Our fathers have inherited naught but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit.' And again: I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles that you may bring salvation to the uttermost ends of the earth.'
So for that reason one should, in fact, fish well and diligently, just as the Lord foretells and teaches, saying, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men' …So it behooved us to spread our nets, that a vast multitude and throng might be caught for God, and so there might be clergy everywhere who baptized and exhorted a needy and desirous people….And in Hosea he says: 'Those who are not my people I will call my people, and those not beloved I will call my beloved, and in the very place where it was said to them, You are not my people, they will be called Sons of the living God.'
So, how is it that in Hibernia, where they never had any knowledge of God but, always, until now, cherished idols and unclean things, they are lately become a people of the Lord, and are called children of God; the sons of the Irish [actually his word is Scotti, and Scotland was named after the Irish tribe (Scotti) who migrated there] and the daughters of the chieftains are to be seen as monks and virgins of Christ.”

Amen! Isn’t that awesome? And by the way, why is March 17 his day? Because that is his birthday - by that is meant, that is the day he died (that was your birthday in the early church). I mentioned earlier his confession of faith. Here it is:

“For there is no other God, nor ever was before, nor shall be hereafter, but God the Father, unbegotten and without beginning, in whom all things began, whose are all things, as we have been taught; and his son Jesus Christ, who manifestly always existed with the Father, before the beginning of time in the spirit with the Father, indescribably begotten before all things, and all things visible and invisible were made by him. He was made man, conquered death and was received into Heaven, to the Father who gave him all power over every name in Heaven and on Earth and in Hell, so that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and God, in whom we believe. And we look to his imminent coming again, the judge of the living and the dead, who will render to each according to his deeds. And he poured out his Holy Spirit on us in abundance, the gift and pledge of immortality, which makes the believers and the obedient into sons of God and co-heirs of Christ who is revealed, and we worship one God in the Trinity of holy name.
And likewise the Lord says in the Gospel: ‘On the day of judgment men shall render account for every idle word they utter.’ So it is that I should mightily fear, with terror and trembling, this judgment on the day when no one shall be able to steal away or hide, but each and all shall render account for even our smallest sins before the judgment seat of Christ the Lord.”

Again I say, Amen! So, this St Patrick’s Day, as you enjoy your corn beef, cooked cabbage and Irish soda bread, remember: this is not what this day is about, or green beer and certainly not drunken festivities. It is about a man who brought the gospel to Ireland!

We still have three things Patrick wrote, one of them is his Confession. I would encourage you to read it. It’s not very long. I can send it to you or you can click here

Good stuff!