Pot of Irish Gold
The March 17th celebration we of the Irish persuasion enjoy started in 1631 when the church established a feast day honoring St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Legend says St. Patrick was actually born Maewyn Succat, but that he changed his name to Patricius (or Patrick), which derives from the Latin term for “father figure,” after he became a priest.
St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world’s most popular saints. He was born in Roman Britain. When he was 14, he was captured by Irish pirates during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. At the time, Ireland was a land of druids and pagans, but Patrick turned to God and wrote his memoir, The Confession.
In The Confession, he wrote: “The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain.”
Patrick’s captivity lasted until he was 20 when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There, he found sailors who took him back to Britain where he was reunited with his family.
According to tradition, Patrick later returned to Ireland to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity. The Declaration says that he spent many years evangelizing in the northern half of Ireland and converted “thousands”. Patrick’s efforts against the druids were eventually turned into an allegory in which he drove “snakes” out of Ireland (Ireland never had any snakes).
Now we in modern times celebrate this day all over the world in many different ways. But Paddy himself would appreciate that if we are to take one day of the year to remember him, he would want for all people to love one another. So on March 17th remember to send out a wee Irish blessing to a friend, family member or neighbor and spread the love he so cherished.
It’s definitely worth a huge pot of gold!
