drpirate

May the Irish Hills Caress You

May the Irish hills caress you,
May her lakes and rivers bless you,
May the luck of the Irish enfold you,
And may the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.







On March 17th, people in many parts of the world celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Most of us know the traditional stories about St. Patrick--those about him ridding Ireland of snakes and using the shamrock to preach Christianity and discuss the Blessed Trinity. But few of us know the rest of the story of St. Patrick. That story--both for inspirational and historical reasons--is one of the most impressive biographies in history, and discovering the real Patrick can give us a much greater incentive to observe the his feast day and raise a toast to him.

Did you know that Patrick wasn't born in Ireland--but rather in present-day Scotland or Wales? It is believed that Patrick was born in Dumbarton around the year 385 A.D. His parents were Romans who oversaw the empire's interests in Scotland and England at the time. Patrick was not raised a Christian.

In order to appreciate the story of Patrick, we must first know Ireland as a country before the arrival of Patrick. Prior to the sixth century B.C., Ireland was inhabited by very simple farming people. Between the sixth and third century B.C., the native population was overcome by migrating Celtic peoples--originally from Central Europe. While a significant portion of the modern-day United Kingdom was overtaken by the Romans and later converted to Christianity, Ireland remained untouched by the outside world, and remained an isolated island of pagan barbarians. Dublin, for example, would not be founded for another five hundred years.

At approximately the age of sixteen, Patrick was captured by raiders from Ireland along with several other unfortunates, and taken to Ireland as a slave. Patrick was put to work tending sheep for a chieftain named Milchu. By his own account Patrick worked for Milchu tending sheep for approximately six years. During that time he learned to speak the Celtic language, learned the countryside, and learned the customs and ways of Ireland.

Though he had not been raised a Christian, Patrick had been exposed to the teachings of Christianity prior to his capture. During his six years as a slave, he began to turn to God and to pray. Eventually he was praying morning, noon and night. One night in Patrick's sleep, after he had prayed over one hundred times earlier that day, he heard a voice say:

"You do well to fast: soon you will depart for your home country . . .

. . .behold, your ship is ready!"

That night Patrick fled from his master and traveled two hundred miles to the coast. There he found a ship ready to depart for mainland Europe. He persuaded the crew to let him board and traveled with them to what is modern-day France. There, after several more dreams and revelations, he studied in a monastery for twelve years, preparing himself for the day when he could return to Ireland and bring the Word of God to his barbarian captors.

At first, however, the Pope appointed another person to take Christianity to Ireland--a man named Palladius. Not long after setting foot in Ireland, however, Palladius became discouraged and frightened by the people of Ireland and their barbarity and asked to be transferred to Scotland. It was then that Pope Celestine looked to Patrick.

It was a great choice, as Patrick was the perfect man for the job. His time as a slave had prepared him for his mission. Without fear, he traveled through the roughest parts of Ireland. Patrick even visited his old master and captor and converted him to Christianity. Patrick won converts in Ireland as no other person could, and in his wake grew churches, schools, and thousands of followers.

Patrick worked miracles and converted people all over Ireland during a ministry that lasted nearly thirty years. He died on March 17, in the year 461. Most of what we know about Patrick comes from a small number of writings, the most notable of which is the "Confession of Saint Patrick", which is essentially a an autobiography that Patrick wrote about his own conversion and his work in Ireland. It is one of the few writings that survived from this period in history and it is itself a miracle.

The story about Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland might be history's way of telling about his victory over paganism and barbarism in Ireland. The story about using the shamrock to teach people about the Holy Trinity is convincing, but based mostly on legend. Regardless, the part of Patrick's story that we do know is true is the most impressive of all. Patrick brought the gift of Christianity to a violent, barbaric land that had turned him into a slave. And he did it all with nothing more than his own faith and determination. Anyone who admires acts of both forgiveness and bravery can find a role model in St. Patrick.

It is said that on St. Patrick's Day, everyone is Irish.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!