Day 76 St Patrick's Day

 

3/17/2025

 

Today is St. Patrick's Day, and many people will be sporting green apparel in order to avoid a pinch, or so I'm told. I did put on my green t-shirt, so I could forego any shenanigans. My daughter and I celebrated from afar by watching some fun movies. Darby O'Gill and the Little People is one of my favorite movies, staring Sean Connery. It's probably not on the list of late greats, but I do enjoy it, and I even own the DVD. There's another one we didn't have time to watch called Leap Year, about a young lady who decides to propose to her boyfriend on leap year, which she heard is acceptable in the Irish culture. So, she flies to Ireland on a whim, as he is there on business, and she encounters a multitude of wrong turns and humorous situations. It is really a good movie. As I have mentioned before, my daughter and I, although we live roughly 2,000 miles apart, still continue to do things together and keep traditions in tact.

I read that the St. Patrick used the three leaf clover, or shamrock, to represent the trinity, God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and Holy Spirit. In my devotional, 60 Days of Prayer, it suggests that the unity of the trinity is demonstrated as the three leaves are supported on a single stem. It can also could represent faith, hope, and love. As the divine trinity supports us with infinite love and comfort, in the words of St Patrick, it represents "Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me." What a wonder tribute to our God and King! St. Patrick used this example as a tool of evangelism, and I can see why. Visual aids are very good in presenting the Gospel to children, but I have learned that it also holds the interest of adults.

St. Patrick was born in Britain according to an article I read, and his true name was  Magonus Saccatus Patricius. His grandfather was a priest, and his father was a deacon, amid a Roman influence; however, the area did not lose its Celtic influence. He was abducted and made an Irish slave for six years where he grew in the area of prayer. When he was released from his enslavement, he returned to Ireland as a missionary, having received the call for missions in his dreams:

"Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary, whose main religious background was Roman. The story follows: Around the year 400, Patrick was born in Scotland. When Patrick was sixteen years old he was captured as a slave by the high king of Ireland. He was sold in Ireland and was taken to the North east of the country to herd sheep. During his six years of solitude he found a life of prayer and pledged his life to God. One night Patrick had a vision and he escaped from slavery and found his way home to his family.

Patrick studied religion for many years to become a priest and a missionary and at night he would hear in his dreams the call from the Irish. They called him to come and free them from paganism, “crying to thee, come hither and walk with us once more”. Finally Pope Celestine fulfilled Saint Patrick’s wish and ordained him as bishop to preach the word of God to the Celtic People. Saint Patrick then came back to Ireland to help teach the word of God. He helped to build churches and he baptised the pagans into Christianity, he also ordained bishops and priests but this did not come without difficulty.

As legend tells us of Saint Patrick lighting the Easter bonfire at Slane hill, it portraits some of the difficulty which Patrick had to face. On Easter night long ago it was forbidden to light any other fire in Ireland until after the lighting of the High King’s own bonfire. When the High King saw that Saint Patrick was lighting the fire he sent a warband to kill the Saint and quench the fire. But the fire could not be quenched and Saint Patrick and his followers passed the warriors in disguise of a herd of deer and they went onto defeat the royal druids at Tara in a contest of miracle working." 

https://www.livingshamrock.com/pages/shamrock-story

The link above continues the story of St. Patrick, a portion I shared above. It's always an adventure learning about holidays and the real truth behind the legends. St. Patrick's day doesn't have to be drinking and sporting, it can be a real feast of learning more about our neighbors. You can also make your memories just like my daughter and I are doing. Either way, it's a win!