St. Patrick

There are times I like to stop and ponder the origin of certain things that cross my path.

When I am sent a forward, for instance, warning me about the latest danger (ie: perfume sellers in parking lots drugging victims, Pyrex glass exploding in microwaves) or offers to "forward this email to 20 people and you will get a free ...." I rarely send those on as "fact". I visit my favorite hoax and urban legend websites to find out if there is any truth in the matter. More often than not, they are hoaxes being sent around like modern day "camp fire horror stories" or just plain rumors.

It's March 17th, so everyone wears green, to celebrate "St. Patrick's Day". But how many of us were told as children -- and have told our children more than, "Wear green so you don't get pinched!" We cook up the traditional St. Patrick Day foods, drink green beer if you like beer, order Shamrock Shakes from McDonald's. (Do they even make those any more?) And relish in this happy holiday.

So who WAS St. Patrick and why do we celebrate this day on March 17th? I was given pause to wonder that today, and thought I would share with you my findings of this awesome missionary who led an extraordinary life, and brought most of Ireland to Christ before he died!!

There is a lot of folklore and legend wrapped up with the facts about St. Patrick. But what I could glean off the internet, I thought I would share. I don't list anything I write as fact, only what I found in my research. I claim no infallibility in my sources, so I will list my sources at the end of this blog.

St. Patrick was born Maewyn Succat around 375 A.D. in Scotland or Wales. In his teens, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates or raiders and sold into slavery, where he worked as a shepherd. In the book he wrote in his latter years, "Confessions", he described his time with God as he tended sheep: "...every day I had to tend sheep, and many times a day I prayed -- the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. And my spirit was moved so that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers and ... almost as many in the night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountains; ... and I felt no harm, and there was no sloth in me -- as now I see, because the spirit within me was fervent."

After 6 years in captivity, Maewyn had a dream in which God told him to escape from Ireland. He obeyed and boarded a ship and ended up, after a long journey, in Britain.

By some reports, he eventually joined a monastery in France and changed his name to "Patrick" which means 'father of his people' in Latin. No one can say for sure when, or how old he was, when he felt God calling him back to Ireland to spread the gospel. Obediently, he went, knowing Ireland was steeped in paganism and druidism.

He and his disciples traveled extensively throughout Ireland and converted thousands over 40 years. The tales about his ministry are varied, and it's difficult to sort fact from legend. I encourage you to read through his amazing story online. I am inspired to some day read his book, "Confessions."

St. Patrick died on March 17 between 461 A.D. and 490 A.D.

Ireland has celebrated St. Patrick's day for hundreds of years, as a religious festival.

Why we wear green: The original color associated with St. Patrick was blue. In the 17th century it was changed to green. It is also one of the colors in Ireland's flag, and Ireland is also called the "Emerald Isle" for their lush, green landscape.

Corned beef and cabbage: Often considered to be an authentic Irish meal, only cabbage and potatoes were the staples of the Irish diet. "Irish immigrants in America couldn't afford bacon, so they substituted it with corned beef, a cheaper alternative ...."

Pinching: This tradition started in America in the early 1700s. Wearing green was thought to make one invisible to leprechauns - who would pinch anyone they could see (not wearing green.) "People began pinching those who didn't wear green as a reminder that leprechauns would sneak up and pinch green-abstainers"

So Happy St. Patrick's Day. Remember this incredible man of God, a missionary who spread the gospel to all of Ireland!

Sources:
http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002/03/031102_stpatrick.jhtml

http://holydays.tripod.com/shamrock.htm

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm

http://www.saintpatricksdayparade.com/life_of_saint_patrick.htm

http://personaldividends.com/culture/miranda/the-origins-of-st-patricks-day

http://www.kentuckianacoinandjewelry.com/1/post/2011/03/this-story-of-st-patrick.html

http://cedarcreekvoice.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/why-do-we-wear-green-on-st-patricks-day/