I bind unto myself the power,
Of the great love of cherubim….
March 17th is a day that lives in infamy for most Americans. It is a day that, regardless of their ethnic heritage, Americans revel in everything Irish: Irish food, Irish music, and in particular, Irish Beer. Our modern celebration of St. Paddy’s Day has about as much to do with Saint Patrick of Ireland as Valentine’s Day has to do with Saint Valentine. In Ireland, March 17th is regarded as a holy day of obligation, wherein the faithful are expected to go to church to give thanks for this their country’s patron saint, but in America the celebration takes on a much more secular nature. What is amusing to me, is that Saint Patrick, whose feast day is now used for celebrating Irish cultural and national pride, was in fact (drumroll please)…BRITISH! The great irony of Saint Patrick’s Day, is that just as so many of the revelers in the streets on March 17th haven’t got a drop of Irish blood in their veins, neither did the man in whose name they are celebrating.
Saint Patrick was born around the year 390 in Northern Britain and when he was in his early teens he was captured by a band of Irish slave-raiders, taken to Ireland and forced to serve the Irish as a slave for many years. Eventually Patrick escaped and returned to Britain, where he was later ordained as a priest and as a bishop, but freedom was not enough for Patrick. Patrick had a vision that compelled him to do something with his new found freedom. What did he do? He returned to Ireland, to the place where he had been enslaved and sought to minister to those very same people that had once held him captive.
Patrick’s story is one of the greatest examples of the power of forgiveness. Saint Patrick didn’t return to Ireland seeking revenge or restitution, he sought reconciliation and he got it. Kings flocked to Patrick; people followed him about all over the countryside; legends were formed and tales of miraculous deeds began to spread. What is unfortunate though is that while the little miracles brought Patrick fame, the biggest miracle in his life was largely overlooked. Patrick’s faith was the most important thing in his life; it was the greatest treasure he had, and he chose to offer that not to his friends or family or even to his own countrymen; he chose to offer it to his enemies, the same people that had once persecuted him. Patrick did one of the hardest things for any human to do: he forgave his enemies. Now that is truly a miracle.
Anyone well versed in modern Irish history knows just how much animosity there is between England and Ireland and this animosity exists for good reason. People always have good reasons to resent their enemies, otherwise they wouldn’t be enemies. Saint Patrick had many reasons to resent and hate his Irish overlords, but he found a force more powerful than reason: love. Love compels us to do the most unreasonable things sometimes, like forgiving those who have hurt us.
I for one intend to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, not because I have Irish ancestors, but because his life is a reminder that cultural and national pride should never come before our love for our fellow man. Remember that, like Patrick of Ireland, the person who has the most to teach you about who you are just might come from the enemy camp.
Blessings,
Fr. Kevin
