I was asked yesterday, on Saint Patrick's Day why it was a holiday. I decided to post a quick blog about it, even though it is now over. It allows me to refresh my memory about who he was (Yes, there was a St. Patrick), and also about how it came to be a holiday, so without further ado...
Not a lot of solid details are actually known about St. Patrick. Patrick may have been born in Dunbarton, Scotland, or Cumberland, England, but many scholars place his birthplace in northern Wales, c.390 AD. He called himself both a Roman and a Briton, which leads to some of the debate as to his birthplace. At 16, he and a large number of his father’s slaves and vassals were captured by Irish raiders and sold as slaves in Ireland. Forced to work as a shepherd, he suffered greatly from hunger and cold. After six years, Patrick escaped, probably to France, and later returned to Britain at the age of 22. His captivity had meant spiritual conversion. He may have studied at Lerins, off the French coast; he spent years at Auxerre, France, and was consecrated bishop at the age of 43. After entering the Church, he had a dream vision in which it seemed “all the children of Ireland from their mothers’ wombs were stretching out their hands” to him. He understood the vision to be a call to do mission work in pagan Ireland. His great desire was to proclaim the Good News to the Irish. Despite opposition from those who felt his education had been defective, he was sent to carry out the task. He went to the west and north, where the faith had never been preached, obtained the protection of local kings and made numerous converts; however, little is known about the places where he worked and no link can be made between Patrick and any particular church.
By the eighth century he had come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland. The Irish monastery system evolved after the time of Patrick and the Irish church did not develop the diocesan model that Patrick and the other early missionaries had tried to establish.
Upon returning to Ireland Saint Patrick went under the Gaelic second name of Daorbae (meaning - He was enslaved) so, he was known as Patricius Daorbae, during his Irish ministry.
As one of the earliest Christian missionaries traveling abroad to spread the Christian faith, Saint Patrick is important because he serves as a testament to the overall missionary legacy of the Church. His example afforded later Christian missionaries the opportunity to assess the best methods to employ when confronting pagan groups abroad. Perhaps the most significant aspect of Saint Patrick’s missionary efforts in Ireland was that he transcended the boundary between Church hierarchy and prominent Church Fathers in terms of the viability of missionary pursuits. Saint Patrick proved that any Christian could live out the Scriptural commandment to spread the word of God while “exalting and confessing his wonders before all the nations that are under the heavens.” Patrick’s example would inspire later missionaries to undertake great missions to evangelize abroad in later years.
Because of the island’s pagan background, Patrick was emphatic in encouraging widows to remain chaste and young women to consecrate their virginity to Christ. He continually urged his people to greater holiness in Christ.
It is certain that Saint Patrick openly preached the gospel message while among the Picts and Irish peoples, but that method does not alone account for conversions to Christianity. In terms of numbers, Patrick himself suggested that he baptized and converted “many thousands,” to the faith. It is true that Patrick had some success converting the sons and daughters of Irish Kings to Christianity, but actual figures of the numbers of converts among the entirety of the Irish population remain unknown.
One way for Saint Patrick to ensure success for evangelizing opportunities while among the Irish was to live in solidarity with those whom he was trying to convert. Approaching the Irish as an equal while showing no pretense of superiority allowed the Irish to become more receptive of Christian teachings. In fact, Patrick himself avowed in his Confession that he “sold this nobility of his,” to enhance the commonality between himself and his Irish audience.
Although he may not have been as well versed in the teachings of the Church as other missionaries, Saint Patrick did understand the basic tenets of the Christian faith. Yet, Saint Patrick seemed to be haunted by his lack of education, and claimed that evangelizing among the Irish “revealed his lack of learning,” according to his own Confession. Limited education would prove to be an obstacle for Patrick, and considering that every word he spoke had to be translated into a foreign tongue, communicating with the pagans in Ireland became a daunting task.
A complete lack of adequate translators hindered Saint Patrick’s attempts to explain the Gospel message and herald his message of the dogma of Jesus Christ. In fact, later Christian missionaries aware of the challenges faced by Patrick would ensure that a sufficient knowledge of foreign languages was known before embarking on missions abroad. Jesuit missionaries in later years would pay particular attention to the details of languages while traveling in Asia and North America.
Saint Patrick was able to preach and lead significantly by example, so when Bishops in Europe accused Patrick of various unknown charges, his reputation inevitably suffered among the Picts and Irish people. He suffered much opposition from pagan druids, and was criticized in both England and Ireland for the way he conducted his mission.
In a relatively short time however, the island had experienced deeply the Christian spirit, and was prepared to send out missionaries whose efforts were greatly responsible for Christianizing Europe.
Patrick was a man of action, he had a rocklike belief in his vocation, in the cause he had espoused.
One of the few certainly authentic writings is his Confession, above all an act of homage to God for having called Patrick, unworthy sinner, to the apostolate.
St. Patrick is said to be buried at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, County Down, alongside St. Brigid and St. Columba, although this has never been proven. The Battle for the Body of St. Patrick demonstrates the importance of both him as a spiritual leader, and of his body as an object of veneration, in early Christian Ireland.
March 17, popularly known as St. Patrick's Day, is believed to be his death date, c.460AD, and is the date celebrated as his feast day. (I mentioned to those asking me that I believed St. Patrick was martyred and burned at the stake, which upon review, I can find no record of. So, I apologize for the error on my part. It appears he died of natural causes.)
An interesting note: On March 17, 1776, the day that British forces under General Sir William Howe evacuated Boston during the American Revolutionary War, the password of the day at General George Washington's Continental Army encampment was "Saint Patrick". The date is observed as Evacuation Day, an official holiday in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA.
For most of Christianity's first thousand years, canonizations were done on the diocesan or regional level. Relatively soon after the death of people considered to be very holy people, the local Church affirmed that they could be liturgically celebrated as saints. As a result, St. Patrick has never been formally canonized by a Pope; nevertheless, various Christian churches declare that he is a Saint in Heaven. He is still widely venerated in Ireland and elsewhere today.
Ironically, St. Patrick is not associated with the color green. He was actually generally pictured in blue raiment up until about the 20th century. In fact there is an actual colour, "St. Patrick's Blue" which is the background for the Irish Presidential Standard (i.e. the flag of the President of Ireland) and the Coat of arms of Ireland. It also appears in the part of the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom representing Northern Ireland. So how come all the green on St. Patrick's day? The change to Ireland's association with green rather than blue probably began around the 1750's. Green, the colour most widely associated with Ireland, with Irish people, and with St. Patrick's Day in modern times, most likely gained its prominence through the phrase "the wearing of the green" meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing. At many times in Irish history, to do so was seen as a sign of Irish nationalism or loyalty to the Roman Catholic faith. So how did St. Patrick become associated with it? Probably from what legend records of him. Pious legend credits Patrick with teaching the Irish converts about the concept of the Trinity by showing people the shamrock, a 3-leaved clover, using it to highlight the Christian belief of the Holy Trinity - 'three divine persons in the one God' - as opposed to the Arian belief that was popular in Patrick's time.
Legend also credits Patrick with banishing snakes from the island, though all evidence suggests that post-glacial Ireland never had snakes; one suggestion is that snakes referred to the serpent symbolism of the Druids of that time and place, as shown for instance on coins minted in Gaul, or that it could have referred to beliefs such as Pelagianism, symbolized as “serpents”.
So, there you have it, a short synopsis of St. Patrick, and how this holiday came to be. Although, I do wonder about something. Why is it that a holiday for a saint of notable influence, consists primarily of the consumption of copious amounts of green alcoholic beverages? Just an observation...
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Just a Thought
So, it's been over a month again since my last post, and I wanted to write something quick. I do intend to continue on with teaching on why Jesus came to die, but, as those tend to be rather lengthy posts, which I think many people may not even be reading, I will not post one tonight, as it is very late, I am going to go to bed, and I'm wanting to end this ginormous run-on sentence.
Pant, Pant, Pant...needed to pause for a breath of air.
So, I was thinking the other day, about the things we speak. I don't really know why, I was just kind of pondering. I have long tried to be careful about the words coming out of my mouth, especially in public. I know you would be hard pressed to find someone who could testify to having ever heard me utter a foul word, even after a smash-your-thumb-with-a-hammer style incident. I say this not to toot my own horn, but just as a matter of fact, and as background to what I say next. I have tried to live by what the Bible says in Ephesians 4, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." It is sage advice and from the Bible, and so I've never really understood people you cuss, especially Christians. Again, I say this not to cause shame, but just as a statement that I don't get it. What is the purpose of foul language anyway? I had someone tell me once that "Well, sometimes a situation just needs a cuss word." Maybe for him it does, but I still don't get it. My wife will also lovingly point out though that I am not ever out of control, and tend to be a very logical person, rather than an emotionally passionate one, perhaps that has something to do with it.
Anyway, what I was pondering about though is all the other things I do say. While I do not "cuss" I do say things like "Holy Crap", "What a Moron", (and my fav from Napoleon Dynamite) "Idiot". So, are these just as bad? "Let me 'splain...No, is too much. Let me sum up." See, in addition to the afore mentioned passage in Ephesians, the bible also has several other thing to say about our words. Some that came to mind as I was pondering this I will mention.
First, and this one is probably a very important one, since it is mentioned not once, but twice in the Gospels. First in Matt 12:34b, and then again in Luke 6:45b. "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. " that's the NIV the KJV actually says "the abundance of the heart". Same idea different words. The point is, do I really like the idea of the abundance and overflow of my heart to be "Holy Crap"? Or perhaps that is what is there...wow that could be a sermon in and of itself..."The Holy Crap of Our Hearts"...I'll have to think more on that one. But away from the irrelevant tangent...Am I speaking the abundance of my heart when I say things like that? Perhaps I am and if that is the case, then perhaps I need to reevaluate the contents therein of my heart. For you see the Bible also says this regarding our words in Matt 12:36-37, "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Wow, do I really want to have to answer for EVERY careless word I've spoken, that sounds like a kickin' party, count me...as far from that as possible! But the Bible says that we will give an account for them, but it also says that by our words we will be acquitted and condemned. Now keep in mind this is at the final judgement, so, I do not fear this knowing that by my words, confessing Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Saviour of my life, the sacrifice for my sins, raised from the dead, I do not fear condemnation, but it still I think will not be a pleasant experience. Do you recall ever having to answer for something you did that you knew was wrong, recall what it felt like inside? The hot flush, the fear of "what is my punishment?", or "I'm so busted.", the guilt, perhaps the shame. I'm thinking it will be something like that. Maybe I'm just an optimist though, it could be much worse.
The point to all this is, we speak so many things without even thinking about what we are saying. The Bible obviously says that our words will be called into account against us one day, and we will answer for them. So, that being the case, what am I speaking? I want to speak the love, the grace, the mercy of God. I want to speak of what He did for me, the things He sacrificed for me, ever thought about what it would mean to do as the song says "I could sing of you love forever?" I'm not saying go stand in the streets singing 24/7/365, but think about it. If we as Christians were actually authentic in our walk, and actually let this life God gives us permeate us, and overflow us, and we "sing of His Love, Forever," what would this world become? Jesus said that we would be persecuted, and that people would hate us because of Him. No problem, we are already seeing that come to pass, but the church was never meant to be a place we come to insulate ourselves from the world, and I fear that it is becoming more so everyday. The church was designed to be a place that the sick come, the broken, the hurting, the dregs and wash of society. Notice where Jesus spent most of his time? Not in the temple, but rather in the marketplace among the (O scandalous) sinners. The sick need a doctor, not the well. It grieves my heart to see people come out with the "God hates Gays" "Hookers go to Hell" etc. signs and then they say, "We are from First Holiness Tabernacle of the Grace of the Great God and Blessed Sacrament Church. And God hates these people" (One caveat here...if you really are a member of First Holiness Tabernacle of the Grace of the Great God and Blessed Sacrament Church, then please forgive me, it was a name pulled out of thin air) God doesn't hate those people, He loves them; He loves them so much the He died for them; so much that "He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER, believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life". Yes, God despises sin, and yes He says that homosexuality is a sin, and prostitution is a sin, but he also says lust is a sin, and greed, and lying. What about coveting? You see to God, sin is simply sin, it separates us from Him. He cannot have anything to do with it. Which is why Christ "became sin for us" so that the curse of it would be done away with, and we can have the relationship with God that He intended for us to have. Sin only has levels in our mind. "I'm not as bad as that "idiot" who thinks he was born gay." No, I only covet my neighbor's things. "I'm not as bad as that "moron" robbed that bank" No, I only spewed expletives at the waiter because he dropped a cup of water on the table and some got on me. See my point? It reminds me of a story I once read. Check it out in Luke 18: "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." " See, so often we think we're good, when really it is the latter attitude we should take. John Bradford was a prebendary (administrator of a cathedral) of St. Paul's in the 1550's. He was an english reformer, and later became a martyr. He was burned at the stake in 1555. He summed all this up best with a statement he made as he watched a group of criminals being led away to execution. "There, but by the Grace of God, go I." Sin is sin, only people create degrees of sin, in God's eyes, I am as much a sinner as the prostitute, the homosexual, the thief, the rapist, this list could go on. So, I want to watch what I am speaking, and see that my words are speaking out the abundance of my heart. More correctly, I want to see that the abundance of my heart is in line with God's word and His desires and love, then if it is I don't have to worry about what I speak, for if I fill my heart up with God's Words, then that will come out of my mouth.
Let me know what you think, please feel free to comment of pass along to anyone you want. Peace to you, and God's favor too:
In Christ Alone,
th
Pant, Pant, Pant...needed to pause for a breath of air.
So, I was thinking the other day, about the things we speak. I don't really know why, I was just kind of pondering. I have long tried to be careful about the words coming out of my mouth, especially in public. I know you would be hard pressed to find someone who could testify to having ever heard me utter a foul word, even after a smash-your-thumb-with-a-hammer style incident. I say this not to toot my own horn, but just as a matter of fact, and as background to what I say next. I have tried to live by what the Bible says in Ephesians 4, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." It is sage advice and from the Bible, and so I've never really understood people you cuss, especially Christians. Again, I say this not to cause shame, but just as a statement that I don't get it. What is the purpose of foul language anyway? I had someone tell me once that "Well, sometimes a situation just needs a cuss word." Maybe for him it does, but I still don't get it. My wife will also lovingly point out though that I am not ever out of control, and tend to be a very logical person, rather than an emotionally passionate one, perhaps that has something to do with it.
Anyway, what I was pondering about though is all the other things I do say. While I do not "cuss" I do say things like "Holy Crap", "What a Moron", (and my fav from Napoleon Dynamite) "Idiot". So, are these just as bad? "Let me 'splain...No, is too much. Let me sum up." See, in addition to the afore mentioned passage in Ephesians, the bible also has several other thing to say about our words. Some that came to mind as I was pondering this I will mention.
First, and this one is probably a very important one, since it is mentioned not once, but twice in the Gospels. First in Matt 12:34b, and then again in Luke 6:45b. "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. " that's the NIV the KJV actually says "the abundance of the heart". Same idea different words. The point is, do I really like the idea of the abundance and overflow of my heart to be "Holy Crap"? Or perhaps that is what is there...wow that could be a sermon in and of itself..."The Holy Crap of Our Hearts"...I'll have to think more on that one. But away from the irrelevant tangent...Am I speaking the abundance of my heart when I say things like that? Perhaps I am and if that is the case, then perhaps I need to reevaluate the contents therein of my heart. For you see the Bible also says this regarding our words in Matt 12:36-37, "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Wow, do I really want to have to answer for EVERY careless word I've spoken, that sounds like a kickin' party, count me...as far from that as possible! But the Bible says that we will give an account for them, but it also says that by our words we will be acquitted and condemned. Now keep in mind this is at the final judgement, so, I do not fear this knowing that by my words, confessing Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Saviour of my life, the sacrifice for my sins, raised from the dead, I do not fear condemnation, but it still I think will not be a pleasant experience. Do you recall ever having to answer for something you did that you knew was wrong, recall what it felt like inside? The hot flush, the fear of "what is my punishment?", or "I'm so busted.", the guilt, perhaps the shame. I'm thinking it will be something like that. Maybe I'm just an optimist though, it could be much worse.
The point to all this is, we speak so many things without even thinking about what we are saying. The Bible obviously says that our words will be called into account against us one day, and we will answer for them. So, that being the case, what am I speaking? I want to speak the love, the grace, the mercy of God. I want to speak of what He did for me, the things He sacrificed for me, ever thought about what it would mean to do as the song says "I could sing of you love forever?" I'm not saying go stand in the streets singing 24/7/365, but think about it. If we as Christians were actually authentic in our walk, and actually let this life God gives us permeate us, and overflow us, and we "sing of His Love, Forever," what would this world become? Jesus said that we would be persecuted, and that people would hate us because of Him. No problem, we are already seeing that come to pass, but the church was never meant to be a place we come to insulate ourselves from the world, and I fear that it is becoming more so everyday. The church was designed to be a place that the sick come, the broken, the hurting, the dregs and wash of society. Notice where Jesus spent most of his time? Not in the temple, but rather in the marketplace among the (O scandalous) sinners. The sick need a doctor, not the well. It grieves my heart to see people come out with the "God hates Gays" "Hookers go to Hell" etc. signs and then they say, "We are from First Holiness Tabernacle of the Grace of the Great God and Blessed Sacrament Church. And God hates these people" (One caveat here...if you really are a member of First Holiness Tabernacle of the Grace of the Great God and Blessed Sacrament Church, then please forgive me, it was a name pulled out of thin air) God doesn't hate those people, He loves them; He loves them so much the He died for them; so much that "He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER, believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life". Yes, God despises sin, and yes He says that homosexuality is a sin, and prostitution is a sin, but he also says lust is a sin, and greed, and lying. What about coveting? You see to God, sin is simply sin, it separates us from Him. He cannot have anything to do with it. Which is why Christ "became sin for us" so that the curse of it would be done away with, and we can have the relationship with God that He intended for us to have. Sin only has levels in our mind. "I'm not as bad as that "idiot" who thinks he was born gay." No, I only covet my neighbor's things. "I'm not as bad as that "moron" robbed that bank" No, I only spewed expletives at the waiter because he dropped a cup of water on the table and some got on me. See my point? It reminds me of a story I once read. Check it out in Luke 18: "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." " See, so often we think we're good, when really it is the latter attitude we should take. John Bradford was a prebendary (administrator of a cathedral) of St. Paul's in the 1550's. He was an english reformer, and later became a martyr. He was burned at the stake in 1555. He summed all this up best with a statement he made as he watched a group of criminals being led away to execution. "There, but by the Grace of God, go I." Sin is sin, only people create degrees of sin, in God's eyes, I am as much a sinner as the prostitute, the homosexual, the thief, the rapist, this list could go on. So, I want to watch what I am speaking, and see that my words are speaking out the abundance of my heart. More correctly, I want to see that the abundance of my heart is in line with God's word and His desires and love, then if it is I don't have to worry about what I speak, for if I fill my heart up with God's Words, then that will come out of my mouth.
Let me know what you think, please feel free to comment of pass along to anyone you want. Peace to you, and God's favor too:
In Christ Alone,
th
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