Post by cyberangel on Mar 16, 2013 20:10:23 GMT
SAINT PATRICK
Saint Patrick was born around 385 in Scotland, possibly Kilpatrick. His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britian in charge of the colonies. When Patrick was in his early teens, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland. He was sold into slavery in Dalriada. There, his job was to tend sheep. Saint Patrick's master, Milchu, was a high priest of Druidism, a Pagan sect that ruled religious influence over Ireland at the time. Patrick learned the language and practices of the people who held him.
St. Patrick came to view his enslavement as God's test of his faith. During his six years of captivity, he became deeply devoted to Christianity through constant prayer. During his captivity, he turned to God in prayer. He wrote
"The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same." "I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain."
Patrick's captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. In the dream, a voice promised him he would find his way home to England. Eager to see the dream materialise, Patrick pleaded with some sailors to let him board their ship. After three days of sailing, he and the crew abandoned the ship in France and wandered for 28 days—covering 200 miles of territory in the process. Finally, St. Patrick made it back to England and was reunited with his family.
Now a free man, Patrick went back to France where he studied in Auxerre and entered the priesthood under the guidance of the missionary St. Germain. As time passed, Patrick never lost sight of his vision he was determined to convert Ireland to Christianity. In 431, Pope St. Celestine I consecrated Patrick Bishop of the Irish, and sent him to Ireland to spread "The Good News," or Christian Gospel, to the Pagans there.
Patrick had a vision, he saw the children of Pagan Ireland reaching out their hands to him. With this, he grew increasingly determined to free the Irish from Druidism by converting them to Christianity. Upon his arrival in Ireland, St. Patrick was initially met with hostile resistance. But St. Patrick quickly managed to spread Christian teachings far and wide. Through preaching, writing and performing countless baptisms, he convinced Pagan Druids that they were worshiping idols under a belief system that kept them enslaved. By accepting Christianity, he told them, they would be elevated to "the people of the Lord and the sons of God."
Throughout his missionary work, St. Patrick continued to promote the conversion of Ireland to Christianity by electing Church officials, creating councils, founding monasteries and organizing Ireland into dioceses. After years of living in poverty, travelling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461 in Saul, where he had built the first church in Ireland. He is said to have been buried in Ulster, County Down, Ireland.
St. Patrick is on the List of Saints, and was declared a Saint in Heaven by many Catholic churches. St. Patrick was also venerated in the Orthodox Catholic Church. Christians annually honours St. Patrick with the celebration of St. Patrick's Day on March 17 which falls during the Christian season of Lent. For more than 1,000 years, the Irish have observed St. Patrick's Day as a religious holiday. Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions.
Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, and has been associated with him and the Irish since that time. Many claim the shamrock represents faith, hope, and love, or any number of other things but it was actually used by Patrick to teach the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and how three things, the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit could be separate entities, yet one in the same. Obviously, the pagan rulers of Ireland found Patrick to be convincing because they quickly converted to Christianity.
Saint Patrick is forever known for driving the snakes from Ireland. It is true that there are no snakes in Ireland, but there probably never have been - the island was separated from the rest of the continent at the end of the Ice Age. As in many old pagan religions, serpent symbols were common and often worshipped. Driving the snakes from Ireland is more than likely an analogy of putting an end to such a pagan practice.
Saint Patrick was a humble, pious, gentle man, whose love and total devotion to and trust in God should be a shining example to each of us. He feared nothing, not even death, so complete was his trust in God, and of the importance of his mission.
Traditionally, on St. Patrick's Day, Irish families would attend church in the morning and celebrate later—including eating a traditional Irish meal of bacon and cabbage.
HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’S DAY!
Love and Light
