HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY to everyone with a drop of Irish blood (like me! Mexico, too, is a melting pot of people with diverse backgrounds) and equally to everyone who is not Irish, like St. Patrick himself.
The patron saint of Ireland, Maewyn Succat, was born at the end of the 4th century in Wales or Scotland. Dubbed “father figure” or Patrick, he was never officially canonized, (the canonization process was not instituted until much later). So he is not Irish, not a canonized saint, and not named Patrick.
He was, however, the son and grandson of Roman Catholic priests, and was therefore educated and grew up relatively prosperous. (Priests weren't prohibited from marrying till the 12th century for financial, not religious, reasons.)
When he was 16, Maewyn's town was destroyed by Irish raiders; he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland, a land and a people he would come to love. After tending sheep for 6 years as a slave, he suddenly intuits, as if the words came directly from Heaven, "this day you will walk to your freedom," so he begins walking and doesn't stop till he reaches the coast (a distance of 200 miles), where he beholds the unusual sight of an anchored ship!
St. Dallan wrote "Be Thou My Vision, O Lord" in the 6th century shortly after going blind. It was translated in 1905 by Mary Elizabeth Byrne and put into verse by Eleanor Hull. In 1919 it was set to this Irish folk tune and has been included in church hymnals ever since -- great idea! (See English lyrics at end of this post.)
The lad likely had a sheep or two with him to sell along the way -- he must have dressed in a way that did not arouse suspicion, and we know he had money to pay his passenger fare. But he was told no, this is no passenger ship. Then the ship's captain paused to look at him and immediately changed his mind. Patrick set sail a free man.
The ship arrived in Normandy (France) to find it a smoldering ruin. For days the men scour the area searching for food to re-stock for the voyage to Britannia, but are unable to find any food at all! Everything had been stolen or destroyed by Vikings.
When they can no longer stand the hunger, Patrick suggests they pray and ask God for food. The young men agree. As Patrick leads them in their first prayer, heads bowed, mid-sentence, they are interrupted by the grunts and squeals of pigs or wild boar running straight toward them. No ordinary food, the men exclaim, but the best food possible!
The men with Patrick witnessed a reality they never imagined possible, just like the pagan sailors with Jonah when the raging storm suddenly goes calm, terrifying the men even more. And like them, the sailors with Patrick also immediately vow to follow this God who performs miracles in response to the whispered prayers of his people.
In due time, Patrick is reunited with his family, and in A.D. 431 he returns to Ireland to preach the Gospel with great fervor. Christianity, somewhat known on the island, had not yet caught on. Patrick's message of salvation is accepted wholeheartedly and he personally baptizes around 120,000 people into the faith, making Ireland one of the first places outside the Roman Empire to accept Christ.
Equally important, he puts an end to the Irish slave trade! We could use a man like Patrick today.
But the story of ridding the island of its snakes is purely symbolic. (Ireland is too cold for snakes.) The helplessness-domination dynamic of slavery (or any abusive system) opens the door to many dark forces (emotional blocks & strongholds) that Patrick cast out in Jesus' name.
March 17th, the day St. Patrick died, has been celebrated as a religious holiday since roughly the 9th century: all businesses closed (including the pubs), everyone attended mass, and gathered for a special meal.
The Secret to St Patrick's Success
1. Don't be afraid to act on yourintuition. It helps to learn to sense the difference between your own thoughts, wishful thinking, and thoughts that come to you from others.
2. Take a chance and ask for what you need. He boldly stepped forward to ask about getting onboard the ship and asked God for help finding food.
3. Enthusiasm -- great love for his work.
4. Elbow grease -- he tirelessly worked, doing all he could to achieve his goals.
5. Organize to improve systems and end systematic abuses. It sounds impossible, but once people figured out the raiders' methods, the gig was over.
6. Carry things to fruition. It wasn't enough to just baptize people into Christianity; he also addressed their spiritual/emotional needs to help them overcome.
7. Restore dignity. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” –Eleanor Roosevelt
The Surprising Origins of the Shamrock
The shamrock was originally an insult. Clover and wood sorrel are perfectly edible (if sharp to the taste) and sweeten the breath, like mint, which also grows wild. But a familiar British trope was that the "wild Irish" would get down on the ground and eat clover "like cattle"--a typical case of victim blaming. Ireland was plagued by poverty by a coincidence of geography, just as Norway was less connected to the continent and therefore poorer than Sweden and Denmark. Who can forget that British landlords collected the last sacks of food produced during the Great Famine as rent, sending countless people to their graves?
It's worth noting that England was not always like this, stubbornly ignoring the real reality (the value of human life) in favor of blind faith in an artificial, man-made system (money). England of the 8th century under King Alfred the Great seemed to have been far better connected to how things function in the big picture. He wrote an interpretation of the Book of Revelation (or allowed it to be written), and with God's help figured out how the Vikings made their surreptitious attacks,thus eradicated the Vikings from England.
King Solomon noted that what doesn't exist cannot be counted, which means there's no way to continue to collect rent in a famine without doing irreparable harm. The Law of Moses mandates the Year of Jubilee to erase all debts every 50 years (Leviticus 25:8-55). But Jewish bankers in Europe dispensed with it when dealing with Gentiles. The year of Jubilee insures the economy can continue to function over the long-term and will never collapse as the economy of the Roman Empire did. 2025 is a Year of Jubilee.
The first depiction of St. Patrick with a shamrock was in 1675. The Irish, however, wore clover on their hats as a symbol of Christianity, and later used it as symbol of national pride, turning the insult on its head.
Today St. Patrick's Day is the most celebrated holiday worldwide.
Be Thou my Vision
LYRICS:
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light
Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word
I ever with Thee, and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight
Be Thou my Armor, and be Thou my Light
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tow’r
Raise Thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art
High King of Heaven, my victory won
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all
