Friday, March 16, 2012

saint patrick's day

I am Irish. I am Scottish. (and a couple other uber European ethnicities, but these are the ones that I am most comprised of) I am very interested in the life of Saint Patrick, and in lieu of his day tomorrow, I'd like to post what I have learned. I recently read a book about him, based on 2 letters of his that were recovered centuries ago.

Saint Patrick was alive around the 5th century and was not actually Irish; he was British, and kidnapped by the Irish at 16. He was held captive and enslaved for years, missing out on his formal education that only a privileged family like his could afford. He was amazed and bewildered by the Irish people. He fell in love with them and their culture. Growing up a stubborn atheist in a Christian home, God was the last thing he expected to encounter during his enslavement. God spoke to him very clearly in dreams during those years, and Patrick reminisced on the prayers he was taught as a boy. God softened his heart for the Irish, his captors, his slave masters, the people who hated his people. He escaped home when he was 21, only to feel an undeniable tug towards Ireland and its people. He ended up returning to Ireland to share the good news of Jesus. His family thought he was nuts, rightfully so. He completely immersed himself in Irish culture to better understand how the gospel can bring light and hope to their plights and way of life. The gospel was way more than something cool God spoke in a dream. It was real, a mission, a way of life that was not able to be stifled.

Shamrocks are associated with Ireland and St. Patrick's day. Rightfully so, clovers are everywhere in Ireland. Saint Patrick used the clover to explain the concept of the Trinity to the Irish. With that, the shamrock has much symbolism to me :) I want to get it tattooed on me someday soon.

A man who was called to love the people that hated him. And did so for the rest of his life. I'd say we have a few things to learn from him.

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