St. Patrick—Hero of Ireland

Pinch! Are you wearing green? Like Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day is not just a day that many people think of as just for fun. While many people connect this day with rainbows, pots of gold, leprechauns, four-leaf-clovers, and luck, it is intended to be a remembrance of St. Patrick.

Patrick was born in 389 and lived his early years in Great Britain. Although Patrick was born into a Christian family, he had no interest in religion. He was nearly an atheist when he was a teenager. But then, at age 16, he was kidnapped by pirates and sold as a slave in Ireland. He looked upon his captivity as a punishment from God for his unbelief. However, through his time as a shepherd for his master, Patrick grew in his relationship with God and Patrick himself said, “I prayed a hundred times in the day and almost as many at night.” Then one night, about six years after being kidnapped, God sent him a vision telling him to flee his master and there was a ship waiting for him to take him home. Patrick fled nearly 200 miles to this ship but when he arrived, he was rejected passage. After a desperate prayer, Patrick was allowed passage and he returned safely home.
Now, this is not why we celebrate him; he is celebrated for his later years of life. It is said that when he returned home he began to study for ministry. But then he had a dream of an Irishman pleading with him saying, “Holy boy, please return to us. We need you.” Patrick did not want to go preach and help the same people who had enslaved him but after seeking God's heart through deep praying, he chose to go back to Ireland. Upon arrival he began to share the truth of the one true God with the people. Previous to his teachings, the Irish believed in many gods, especially those that related to nature. The truth set them free from these pagan beliefs and they began to follow the Christian God.

Perhaps some of the reason that Patrick became a saint is that he performed many miracles as well as starting more than 300 churches! It is recorded that he healed the blind, the lepers, and even raised nine people from the dead!

Although many legends have arisen around Patrick, such as that he drove out all the snakes from Ireland, one symbol commonly associated with St. Patrick's Day is the shamrock. It is true that Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to demonstrate the three parts of God (the trinity). God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He used the clover to show how each leaf (each one representing a part of God) is still all joined together as one.

Patrick is celebrated for his going to the people who enslaved him and teaching them about God. Patrick was actually given the title of St. after his death. So now that you know the true story of St. Patrick, tell others about him and his life. Explain to them about the clover. And may you have a blessed St. Patrick's Day!

P.S.
Several blog readers have said that it was difficult to read the black on brown so I changed it to white on brown. I hope that this is easier for you to read. God bless you!