The Courage of Saint Patrick

File:Inside St Patrick, Edinburgh (D) – geograph.org.uk; Author: Basher Eyre; Lic: CC BY-SA 2.0

Today is St. Patrick’s Day, and much of the nation will use today as a reason to create all manner of unnaturally green colored items. I’m sure you’ll see a lot of shamrocks, leprechauns, and Irish flags too. Keep in mind, however, that the real reason for commemorating this day is far more valuable than any fabled pot of gold. 

Patrick of Ireland is a towering figure in Church history, and what we know of his life is certainly worth studying. Captured and taken from his home in Britain, Patrick was sold into slavery at the age of 16. He found himself herding sheep on a foreign island with pagan inhabitants.

He spent six long years in captivity, during which time he turned with new fervor to his Christian faith. After a series of vivid dreams that he understood to be a message from God, he escaped his master and endured a perilous journey back to his family in Britain. 

The most shocking and exciting part of Patrick’s story, however, is that he felt moved to return to the land of his captivity and preach the Gospel to its Celtic inhabitants. He returned to Ireland, despite objections of his family and friends and there he lived for the remainder of his life, traveling far and wide to educate and baptize all he met. He was careful to deal fairly with the Celtic tribes and their chiefs, but he lived in constant danger of being martyred for the faith. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, worked with tireless humility evangelizing the very peoples who had captured and enslaved him. We commemorate his life on the date of his death on March 17, 461 AD. 

As we reflect today on Patrick’s incredible courage and devotion to God’s calling on his life, let me encourage you to read his two primary writings. Find a copy and study his short autobiography Confessio as well as his Letter to Coroticus. May we all develop courage and devotion to the Truth like Saint Patrick!