st. patrick's day history

St. Patrick's Day

17th of March is celebrated all over the world in the honour of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

St. Patrick St. Patrick wasn't always a saint, he wasn't always Patrick, and he wasn't always Irish. Patrick was born in Britain, not Ireland. His name was Maewyn Succat; only later in life was he called Patricius, or Patrick. As a teenager he was no saint and he wasn't at all devoted to Jesus Christ. His grandfather was a Christian pastor and young Maewyn Succat or young Patrick knew some Christian teachings. But he didn't have much interest in Christ. He lived a comfortable life on his family's country estate, eager to enjoy life and not interested in the Lord.

But Patrick's pampered life changed the day he was kidnapped. What started as an ordinary day turned into panic when a gang of pirates stormed ashore. The pirates grabbed him and some others and sailed away. When they got to Ireland the pirates sold Patrick to a warrior chieftain. He wasn't a nice person to work for. His taste in decoration included putting his enemies' heads on poles around his living quarters. He bought Patrick as a slave and made him take care of pigs and sheep out in the hills. Patrick had little to eat and little to wear. Often cold and hungry he also felt isolated and alone. He didn't expect to see his home and family again. He found himself in a place where he couldn't understand the language and where he was treated like an animal.

But in that awful situation young Patrick met God. He had no Bible but he remembered some of the things he had heard growing up. He began to feel guilty for his sins and sorry for ignoring the Lord Jesus. He cried out for God's help. As he prayed and prayed Patrick began to sense God's love and the touch of the Holy Spirit. “I turned with all my heart to the Lord my God,” he later wrote. “He guarded me before I knew Him and comforted me as a father comforts his son. I would pray constantly during the daylight hours,” Patrick said. “The love of God and the fear of Him surrounded me more and more and my faith was strengthened.”

Patrick would never have chosen to be kidnapped and enslaved but he saw God's hand in it. “It was for my good,” he later wrote, “for that is how God cleansed me, so that I, who at one time didn't even care about my own salvation, would now care and work for the salvation of others.” Patrick agreed with the biblical writer who said, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I obey your word. It was good for me to be afflicted” (Psalm 119:67, 71).

Patrick slaved away year after year working hard and praying hard. During that time he came to understand the Gaelic language and he found out more about the people living in Ireland. Their lives were dominated by druids who were believed to have great knowledge and magical powers. This was about 400 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ but few Christians had ventured to Ireland, and most people living on that beautiful island knew nothing about Jesus or about the Christian way of life. Druids decorated themselves with bird skins and feathers, performed blood sacrifices, predicted the future and served as advisers to Irish chiefs. At first Patrick hated the people who held him captive but after he turned to the Lord Jesus Patrick started praying for them.

After six years as a slave Patrick had a dream in which he heard a voice saying, “Soon you will return to your homeland.” A bit later the voice declared, “See your ship is ready.” Patrick took that as a sign that God would help him escape from slavery back to his home in Britain. He sneaked away and journeyed 200 miles on foot making his way over rough hills and through soggy bogs till he at last made it to a harbor. He asked for permission to board a ship, but the captain answered the runaway slave harshly, “It's no use asking to go with us!” As Patrick turned away, he prayed urgently. Before his prayer ended, one of the sailors called, “Come, hurry, we'll take you.” So Patrick sailed with them, helping with the work and talking about Jesus.

They sailed for three days and then traveled on land for almost a month. Their food supplies ran out and the ship's crewmen were famished and weak. The captain said to Patrick, “Now what do you say for yourself Christian? You brag that your God is great and powerful so why don't you pray for us? We are starving and won't live to see another human.”

Patrick replied confidently, “Be truly converted with all your heart to the Lord my God, because nothing is impossible with Him. This day He will send enough food to satisfy everyone for he has abundance everywhere.” Suddenly a herd of pigs appeared right in their path. Soon the men were feasting on roast pork and storing away more for their journey.

Eventually Patrick made it back to his family in Britain. His loved ones were delighted to see him and begged him never to leave them again. But while he was there Patrick learned in a dream that he would have to leave. Patrick wrote, “I had a dream of a man who seemed to come from Ireland and he carried countless letters one of which he handed over to me. I read it aloud where it began, ‘The Voice of the Irish.'” In Patrick's dream, as he read “The Voice of the Irish” on the page, he also heard voices like men from the Irish forest where he had been. The voices were saying in unison, “We appeal to you boy, to come and walk among us once more.”

Four centuries earlier the apostle Paul had a dream of a man from Macedonia pleading, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9). Paul responded to that dream by taking the gospel of Christ into Macedonia. Patrick had a similar dream, and he responded in a similar way. After studying the Scriptures Patrick went to Ireland to lead people to Jesus Christ.

By Harsh Oberoi

 

St. Patrick's Day in Ireland

God says in the Bible, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions” (Joel 2:28). Patrick loved that verse and he loved Jesus' promise, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit made Patrick a Christian and a man of prayer, the Holy Spirit gave Patrick a dream of being a witness for Christ among the very people who enslaved him and the Holy Spirit gave Patrick power to deal with opposition and to keep doing the Lord's work.

Some people celebrate St. Patrick's Day by drinking alcohol—distilled spirits—but Patrick himself drank from the well of God's Holy Spirit. The best way to honor St. Patrick's Day would be to ask God to give us a rich measure of Patrick's power by pouring the Holy Spirit of Christ into our own lives.

When Patrick returned to Ireland he faced physical dangers from people who wanted to kill him. His life was in serious danger at least twelve different times, not counting various plots that fizzled before actual attempts were made on his life.

As Patrick faced physical attacks, he also faced spiritual attacks from druid wizards, witches, and others who directed curses and magic spells against him. Patrick didn't deny that the druids had certain powers or that spirits dreaded by the people really existed. Patrick treated these powers as real but declared that they were demonic powers, which could be subdued by the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Patrick put into practice the words of Ephesians 6, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of the dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-13). Whether threatened by physical death or demonic curses Patrick counted on the armor of God. There's an ancient prayer called St. Patrick's Breastplate. The exact wording has changed from the language of Patrick's time but the substance of it fits with what we know about Patrick. He believed firmly in the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit united as one God. He trusted that God's power to help him would be the same power that enabled Jesus to accomplish all his wonders, the same power all angels and holy people have depended on and the same power that upholds all the forces of nature. Putting on this vast power as his defense with Christ inside him and all around him Patrick could face anything.

By Harsh Oberoi

The Spread of Christianity

Breast Plate of St Patrick