Keep It Simple

Nº 398

Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me. - St. Patrick

Today is St Patrick’s Day. So, a few reflections on his extraordinary life seem in order.

Remarkably, Patrick was a very unassuming man. No one knows when he was born, although many surmise it was about AD 386. No one knows his given name, but some think it may have been Maewyn Succat (I’d go by Patrick too). No one knows when he died, however many think he lived until AD 461. He had little formal education, was kidnapped from England by pirates at age 16, and enslaved in Ireland for six years.

A Druid priest owned him and forced him to tend sheep. While watching the flock, Patrick followed Paul’s advice to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), asking God for the children of Ireland to become Christians.

After his escape, he fled home, went to France, and entered the priesthood. He then returned to Ireland as a highly effective and much-loved missionary.

Today we name cathedrals after him, assign fables to him, and celebrate St Patrick’s Day with much fanfare. Our attention is not drawn to a man of wealth, power, or education, but to a simple man of faith who forgave his enemies, prayed unceasingly, and shared his faith with others.

Excelsior,

Dan Bolin