Happy St. Patrick’s Day! If you follow the traditions of most people, you will commemorate this occasion with green clothing, perhaps some green food and beverages, and a search for the ever-elusive pot of gold. But could there be more to glean from this special holiday? Is there something deeper than rainbows, leprechauns, and four-leaf clovers? Yes! The truth is that St. Patrick’s Day not only has its roots in Christian celebration, but that the man for whom the day was named gave us beautiful examples to follow.
Historians tell us that Patrick was born in 385 A.D. in what is now known as Dumbarton, Scotland. Though his father was a church deacon and his grandfather was a presbyter, Patrick didn’t value his Christian heritage very strongly until a dramatic life event challenged his perspective. While visiting with his grandparents near the Wales sea shore, Patrick was kidnapped by pirates and taken to the island of Ireland where he was sold into slavery. His response to this horrific life event gives us all some important life lessons.
Recognize our Source of help. Patrick talks about the harrowing days he faced in slavery. Nearly naked and continually hungry, the events shocked him into seeing his life more clearly. In his own words, St. Patrick wrote that God “looked down on my lowliness and had mercy on my youthful ignorance. He guarded me before I knew him, and before I came to wisdom and could distinguish between good and evil. He protected me and consoled me as a father does for his son.”[i]
Stay in constant prayer. As a slave in Ireland, Patrick tended sheep for his heavy-handed master. He writes, “After I arrived in Ireland, I tended sheep every day, and I prayed frequently during the day. More and more the love of God increased, and my sense of awe before God. Faith grew, and my spirit was moved, so that in one day I would pray up to one hundred times, and at night perhaps the same.”[ii] Patrick went on to say he would rise to pray before dawn, no matter the weather conditions, and he never felt worse for it, because “the Spirit was burning in me at that time.”[iii]
Expect God’s answers. Patrick describes a night when, in his sleep, he heard a voice telling him that he was going to return to his native country, followed by another voice that said, “Look – your ship is ready.”[iv] Guided by those voices in his dreams, Patrick escaped his slave master and journeyed 200 miles to the shore. He found a ship at the shore, but the captain turned him away at first. Patrick began praying, and before he could finish, the sailors had a change of heart and welcomed him onto their vessel.
Patrick wasn’t surprised years later when, through another dream, God beckoned him back to Ireland as His witness, to invite the people of Ireland into salvation through Jesus Christ. In his dream he received a letter from the Irish people that began, “We beg you, holy boy, to come and walk again among us.” God gave Patrick further instructions in a subsequent dream, when a voice said, “The one who gave his life for you, he it is who speaks in you.” Patrick says he awoke full of joy, and eventually he made his way back to Ireland to share the Good News of Jesus and his personal testimony of salvation with its people.[v]
Abide in Christ, as He abides in you. Though Patrick returned to Ireland to serve its people, he frequently found himself being attacked by those who felt threatened by the Good News he shared. Patrick persisted in prayer during these times, as well, reminding himself of who and where God is. A hymn attributed to Patrick best describes the reminders he gave himself. The hymn is called St. Patrick’s Breastplate, and its verses read:
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Interestingly, “the word breastplate is a translation of the Latin word lorica, a prayer, especially for protection. These prayers would be written out and at times placed on shields of soldiers and knights as they went out to battle.”[vi]
I hope you agree after reading his testimony that St. Patrick’s life has great reasons for celebration. I might throw on a little green clothing today, but that’s where my affiliation with the modern-day celebration of him might end. Instead, I want to celebrate the life of St. Patrick by following his example. Will you join me? At all times, especially in hardship, let’s remember Who gives us our help. Let’s seek Him and thoroughly enjoy relating to Him through prayer. Let’s look expectantly for His answers, as God is always working around, within, and through us. And as we follow God’s lead, let’s pick up St. Patrick’s Breastplate and remind ourselves of the omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence of our glorious Lord.
— Linda Maynard for The Sublime Soiree (c) March 17, 2025
Article based on information from the following sources:
[i] St. Patrick’s Confession in his own words, © 2011 Royal Irish Academy, as found on www.confessio.ie.
[ii] Ibid
[iii] Ibid
[iv] Ibid
[v] Ibid
[vi] “Should Christians Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?”, © March 17, 2021 by Stephen Nichols for www.learn.ligonier.org
Thanks for this informative post! ☘️