Last month, you may have celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day by wearing green, drinking dyed beer, eating corned beef and cabbage or possibly pinching someone NOT wearing green. March 17 is the anniversary of Saint Patrick’s death in the year 461. The day honoring the patron saint of Ireland is a global celebration of Irish heritage. In the United States, there are parades and many foods and drinks are given an emerald hue.
I recently learned the most interesting facts about this man. I was introduced to him during a March 16 sermon and learned about his successful evangelism. Patrick was born in fourth century Great Britain. He was the son of a deacon, kidnapped at the age of 16 by Irish pirates and became the slave of a druid, a Celtic pagan priest, for six years. He escaped and returned home, to England, but later returned to Ireland to preach the gospel to the people who enslaved him.
Patrick transformed an entire nation peacefully without bloodshed or force. He called for charity and sacrificial love, especially toward women and children. Historian Seumas MacManus observed that the burning desire of Patrick’s life was to bring souls to Christ and he did this with passion and unremitting perseverance.
In a period of 35 years, Patrick converted more than 200,000 souls and planted more than 300 churches before he died at the age of 78.
What we learn from this story is one of the commandments from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27). Jesus commanded his followers to go into all of the world and spread the gospel. Called the “Great Commission”, it is a central theme in Christian theology and evangelism (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:19-20).
The word “gospel” is derived from an Anglo-Saxon term meaning “good story” or “good news” which is salvation through Jesus Christ: His life, death and resurrection. It is also the promise of eternal life for those who believe.
God loves his enemies and desires the best for them. He demonstrated His compassion and forgiveness even in the face of His own suffering. During His crucifixion, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
St. Patrick also embraced the biblical model of self-government, rooted in just and equal laws. These are the same principles that shaped America’s liberty, justice and the free enterprise system of the Western World.
I will no longer view Saint Patrick’s Day as a party event and celebrate the traditions of Irish culture, as in the past. I will think of Patrick’s profound impact on the legacy of Ireland’s noble heritage of freedom.
Where druids promoted human sacrifice, Patrick proclaimed Christ’s ultimate sacrifice and the promise of eternal life.
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I close, in the fruit of the spirit given to all believers: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness & self control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Writer’s note: I must give credit for much of this content to the World History Institute (WHI) for the article, “Honoring St. Patrick, A Legacy of Freedom and Faith”.
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