16 Mar 2012
St Patrick, Apostle of Ireland
“Who am I, Lord, and what is my calling that you should co-operate with me with such divine power? Today, among the people, I praise and proclaim your name in all places, not only when things go well but also in times of stress. Whether I receive good or ill, I return thanks equally to God, who taught me always to trust him unreservedly.” Confessions of St Patrick.
When I went looking for some material on this post online today I was amazed at the amount of ‘Happy St. Patrick’s Day’ paraphernalia that I had to wade through. There are only so many dancing red headed leprechauns a man can put up with! But this isn’t a blog bemoaning commercialism. It’s about celebrating one man’s faith. It’s about looking at the example of his courage and his capacity for forgiveness. It’s about reminding us where we came from as Catholics and challenging us to live out this message in the future.
Who am I Lord and what is my calling?
The celebration of St. Patrick’s Day is so much more than wearing the Shamrock and joining the parade ( although to be fair that’s a good part of it ). We remember a young man taken captive over 1,600 years ago, sold into slavery in an alien country, who escaped but was called by God to return and share his faith with his former captors. God’s vocation for each one of us is a challenge. There can be times when we feel it would be simpler and easier to go our own way and do our own thing. But with Patrick we see in one person the ability to shape an entire nation, not just in his time, but up to today and beyond. His story is about courage, forgiveness and compassion. It’s his story, but it’s ours as well – if we have something of that openness to God moving in our lives. And if we did what a world we would make!
I’ve attached a little video from the Oscar nominated Brown Bag Film Co. More than 30 years ago, young Dublin children were recorded on a battered tape recorder as they gave their interpretation of stories from the bible. This is their take on St. Patrick. Classic!
[youtube k0q-_gWOYjY nolink]