St. Patrick’s Day: more than green beer and shamrocks
by Dan Hardock

For many people the mention of St. Patrick’s Day conjures up images of green beer, unruly drunks, and shamrocks somehow associated with Ireland. What most people don’t realize is that Patrick was a real person, and was a missionary. Surprisingly, Patrick wasn’t even Irish – he was born a Roman citizen in Scotland, in 387 AD, to a family of high rank.

All that changed at age sixteen when Patrick was captured by a group of Irish raiders. They took him back to Ireland and sold him.

As a child Patrick was not very religious. But in the midst of his troubles God seemed to be the only one left. He made a promise that if God would grant him his freedom he would serve him for the rest of his life.

After six years Patrick had a dream. In it a voice said, "Your hungers are rewarded, you are going home." Waking up the voice continued, "Look, your ship is ready." Patrick got up and started walking. After several days he arrived at the coast only to see a ship waiting there which took him back to England. Although his family was overjoyed at seeing their son alive, Patrick kept his promise and became a monk. Then one night he had another dream. This time it was a messenger bearing letters: "and as I read… I thought that at the same moment I heard their voice… and did thus cry out with one mouth: "We ask thee boy, come and walk among us once more." When Patrick told people of the vision many people thought that he was insane. In most cases anyone who was Christian or shown any opposition to the druids ended up dead. Undeterred, he and his mission arrived in Ireland in 433. The first thing that Patrick did was to go inland and pay out his former master.

The most important day for the Irish mission was on March 26 – Easter Sunday – in 433. All of the chieftains and the druids were meeting for their annual council at Tara. The missionary group, bearing aloft a copy of the Gospels, followed by Patrick, arrived in processional order uninvited to the meeting. A spiritual duel ensued with the druids trying everything in their power to stop Patrick. After a series of spectacular showdowns, each one defeated by prayer, they fled.

Now it was time to present the Gospel. It was at one of these meetings that Patrick picked a shamrock from the grass to explain the doctrine of the Trinity. Soon after this he was given permission to preach anywhere in Ireland. Patrick continued with his missionary work until his death in 461 seeing almost all of Ireland embrace the faith.

Because of one man’s faith an entire nation was forever changed. Like Joseph in the Old Testament, what appeared to be evil fortune uniquely equipped Patrick to do what God would one day ask him to do. The sufferings of Patrick’s youth were more than made up for in the days of joy in his later years.

That’s a story worth raising a glass for…