Day 22.  St Patrick's Day!  Today is St. Patrick’s Day. Have a green beer if you absolutely must, but not till after you find out why Patrick was sainted.What can his life teach you about how to be Christian?


I have been doing some reading the past 48 hours on the legends surrounding Saint Patrick.  Much of what I found is contained in this report on this website.  Several other sites reports much the same stories.  Click here to read:

http://www.saintpatricksdayparade.com/saint_patrick/patrick.jpg

 A History of Saint Patrick.

Now much of the truth seems to be clouded by mystery and legend.  Some don't even believe there was a particular man called Patrick, but rather that who we call Saint Patrick today is really a composite of several different men who walked the emerald isle back in the 5th Century.   Whether that be true or not, Saint Patrick in credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland and converting the pagan Celts to the Catholic Church.   He was sainted because he became a martyr for Christ and the Christian way.  He walked the walk and talked the talk.  Even if he was a symbol rather than a real man, his life brought hope and inspiration to seekers every where.

So, now, I am trying to see what about Saint Patrick's life would teach me how to be a better Christian.  Hmm.  Maybe, and I go out on a limb here, maybe it is that one must live according to his beliefs and values.  To be truly Christian, one should sort out the truth of what it means to be a Christian from all the misconceptions and warping of what Jesus Christ actually preached.

Jesus was not a Christian.  He was a man who walked the earth who became recognized his own divinity.  He was truly the son of God.  Perhaps Patrick recognized this in himself, too.  The distinction in Christianity and being a Christian comes for me in knowing the difference between worshiping Jesus and learning to walk the way of Jesus.  

A Christian does not pass judgement.  He does as Jesus did, ministering the sick and the lame, the unclean and the disenfranchised.  The true Christian does not hold himself out as holier than anyone else and recognizes the divinity in all of God’s creatures and creations.  

Patrick surely believed he was on the right path.  But was he right to “drive the snakes out of Ireland” as the metaphoric legend tells us?  Who were these snakes anyway?  As there were not and have never been real snakes in Ireland, this story surely refers to the Druids or the pagans or others who did not readily embrace the Christian faith.  

Much like the legends of Saint Nicholas turned pagan rituals and holidays into Christian ones, did Saint Patrick do the same thing for Ireland?  One must sort that out with further study, prayer and earnest meditation.

In the meantime, from shamrocks to leprechauns, green beer to pots of gold, rainbows and even Saint Brigid, it a fabulous time to be Irish or act as if you are for a day.  The Irish (my paternal ancestors) are a hearty and storied people.  They deserve to be celebrated on this verdant holiday.  So eat some corned beef and cabbage, soda bread, bangers, boxties and colcannon.  It is a great day to be Irish.  Perhaps that is the best lesson of all we can learn from Saint Patrick.  Be true to yourself and the road will indeed rise up to meet you.