St. Patrick was believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D.[1] Over 1,500 years later, what was so great about his life that we have a holiday bearing his name complete with green clothing, pinching, and shamrocks (which we, for some reason, refer to only as three-leaf clovers every other day but this one)?
Here’s some things we know about the real St. Patrick that may surprise you:
- He wasn’t formally a saint because he was never officially canonized by the Catholic Church.[2]
- He wasn’t really Irish either, having been born somewhere in Britain.[3]
- He didn’t actually banish all snakes from Ireland because there were never any snakes there to begin with.[4]
- He was kidnapped to become a slave on the Emarald Isle only to miraculously escape back to his home in Britain.[5]
I share all of this with you about Patrick to focus primarily on who and what he actually was, not on the person we have created him to be.
He was truly kidnapped from his family and his home.
He was actually forced into slavery in an unknown place.
And he did miraculously make it back home alive.
Yet, for some reason, he would later return to the place he was enslaved—not for revenge, to the chagrin of every Liam Neeson movie, but to share the truth that could spare them eternal destruction. Historical records even indicate that one of his very first converts in Ireland was none other than his former master.[6]
For decades, Patrick preached the Gospel to the island despite the risk that existed in doing so. He describes the danger as being “watched with malice,” “mangled and preyed upon,” and as “greedy wolves devouring the flock of the Lord.” [7]
If this was true, why did Patrick return? What was his true motivation? This goes against everything our natural wisdom and logic tell us. “Safety first” is not just some construction-site mandate but true of our innate defense system as human beings. “God spared your life from that place, why would you ever return?” we want to ask him. Thankfully, Patrick answers our question—because it was in Ireland he believed.
It was there that the Lord opened up my awareness of my lack of faith. Even though it came about late, I recognised my failings. So I turned with all my heart to the Lord my God, and he looked down on my lowliness and had mercy on my youthful ignorance.[8]
Patrick not only returned but continued to be faithful in sharing the love of Christ to those in Ireland. This is the man we remember and celebrate every March. This was his heart.
That is why I cannot be silent – nor would it be good to do so – about such great blessings and such a gift that the Lord so kindly bestowed in the land of my captivity. This is how we can repay such blessings, when our lives change and we come to know God, to praise and bear witness to his great wonders before every nation under heaven.[9]
After reading all of this, if there was one word to describe Patrick, what would it be? As you can see, he wasn’t known for wearing green, he didn’t go around pinching people for failing to do the same, and he was certainly all rock and no sham. Therefore, the word that comes to my mind to describe him would be steadfast—because nothing seemed to sway his commitment to loving others by sharing the love of God with them.
How hard is this in the shifting sands of our everyday circumstances? When things are going well and both the figurative and literal sun are shining, it is easy to be committed to the Lord’s will. But on the days where the sun not only fails to shine but is nowhere to be found for seemingly weeks on end, how hard is it to be committed to the plan and mission of the One who is controlling the sun withheld?
Patrick wasn’t ever fully embraced for his efforts in Ireland. There was always difficulty and animosity from those who rejected the Gospel. But it was in those moments that Patrick’s true heart was revealed—the heart that was all rock—steadfast—and no sham. There was nothing fake about it.
So, as you sport your green trousers, search your front lawn for a lucky clover, or merely find joy in continuously pinching the co-worker who failed to notice their calendar, remember Patrick’s heart. For it is his heart alone that is worth not only celebrating but emulating.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
[1 Corinthians 15:58]
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