Why I Love St. Patrick
Happy Feast of St Patrick! I don't have much time, but let me list some reasons Patrick is one of my favorite Saints:
-He's not Irish. Everyone thinks I'm Irish, but I'm not. For me, it's the red hair and tinwhistle. For him, it's the spending-his-life-living-and-preaching-in-Ireland. Either way, we have something in common.
-He was a missionary. In an age where Christianity had become stale and "civilized," Patrick knew what it meant to risk it all for the sake of the Gospel.
-He loved his enemies. Patrick spent much of his teenage life as a slave in Ireland. And then, when God called him back there, he went back, no questions.
-He loved the Gospel. As much as he loved the Irish, by no means did he think their pagan beliefs worht emulating. Rather, his love for them spurred him on to convert them to the Truth.
-He exemplified incarnational love. Patrick didn't just preach in Ireland: he gave his life to the country. He wasn't born Irish, but he might as well have been by the time the Lord called him home.
-He embodied intercultural ministry. Patrick was savvy to the politics going on in Ireland and was careful to know when to get in and when to get out. He adapted Christianity to Irish culture, firmly holding on to theological orthodoxy while explaining it in a way that pagans could understand (to be fair, a lot of the specific stories of such adaptation- clover, candles, etc.- are later stories and may not be authentic).
-He was Pentecostal. Well, kind of. Although later accounts of Patrick portray him as your typical super-saint- raising the dead, burning down buildings, and basically vomiting miracles- Patrick's own Confession reveals a man whose sprituality was intimate rather than ostentatious, filled with dreams and visions and prophetic words rather than flashy signs and wonders. And I'm convinced that he spoke in tongues at least once (check out paragraph 20 of the Confession if you're interested).
That's why I love St Patrick. But you really should just read his confession yourself, and learn to love him too.
For the sun we see rises each day for us at his command, but it will never reign, neither will its splendour last, but all who worship it will come wretchedly to punishment. We, on the other hand, shall not die, who believe in and worship the true sun, Christ, who will never die, no more shall he die who has done Christ's will, but will abide for ever just as Christ abides for ever, who reigns with God the Father Almighty and with the Holy Spirit before the beginning of time and now and for ever and ever. Amen.
-Patrick of Ireland
....'s Day!
-He's not Irish. Everyone thinks I'm Irish, but I'm not. For me, it's the red hair and tinwhistle. For him, it's the spending-his-life-living-and-preaching-in-Ireland. Either way, we have something in common.
-He was a missionary. In an age where Christianity had become stale and "civilized," Patrick knew what it meant to risk it all for the sake of the Gospel.
-He loved his enemies. Patrick spent much of his teenage life as a slave in Ireland. And then, when God called him back there, he went back, no questions.
-He loved the Gospel. As much as he loved the Irish, by no means did he think their pagan beliefs worht emulating. Rather, his love for them spurred him on to convert them to the Truth.
-He exemplified incarnational love. Patrick didn't just preach in Ireland: he gave his life to the country. He wasn't born Irish, but he might as well have been by the time the Lord called him home.
-He embodied intercultural ministry. Patrick was savvy to the politics going on in Ireland and was careful to know when to get in and when to get out. He adapted Christianity to Irish culture, firmly holding on to theological orthodoxy while explaining it in a way that pagans could understand (to be fair, a lot of the specific stories of such adaptation- clover, candles, etc.- are later stories and may not be authentic).
-He was Pentecostal. Well, kind of. Although later accounts of Patrick portray him as your typical super-saint- raising the dead, burning down buildings, and basically vomiting miracles- Patrick's own Confession reveals a man whose sprituality was intimate rather than ostentatious, filled with dreams and visions and prophetic words rather than flashy signs and wonders. And I'm convinced that he spoke in tongues at least once (check out paragraph 20 of the Confession if you're interested).
That's why I love St Patrick. But you really should just read his confession yourself, and learn to love him too.
For the sun we see rises each day for us at his command, but it will never reign, neither will its splendour last, but all who worship it will come wretchedly to punishment. We, on the other hand, shall not die, who believe in and worship the true sun, Christ, who will never die, no more shall he die who has done Christ's will, but will abide for ever just as Christ abides for ever, who reigns with God the Father Almighty and with the Holy Spirit before the beginning of time and now and for ever and ever. Amen.
-Patrick of Ireland
....'s Day!