17th March 2024
I set an exam once in Ringsend Tec while teaching there. The subject matter was Saint Patrick which I thought I did a good job teaching. One of the returned scripts told me that ‘Saint Patrick got browned off on the mountain (Slemish) so he went to Dublin and took a plane back to England!’ At least he got the fact that Patrick was a migrant! Teaching is good for one’s humility!
When you look at the statues of Patrick and when you read his writings you have to admire a man that seemed to have it together. He’d been through a lot, dragged from his home, a slave minding pigs on a mountain, going home to people who were strangers to him presumably as he spent years away from them. If this was today he be keeping therapists very busy and he’d probably be on medication for post traumatic stress disorder! I’ve seen it in people who experienced difficult situations – they dig deep and find a deep inner strength to carry them forwards. Others collapse under the weight of the strain.
You could also presume that life was easy for Patrick from a faith perspective; that he came from a world that was more simple in terms of Christianity. Maybe we could think that it was a new Church full of energy and enthusiasm, uncomplicated, fraternal, supportive and unfractured. Following on from this we could say then that it was easy for him to believe – not like us today who have to put up with so many distractions, complications and conflicts.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. When you look back at his life and, apart from his own personal trauma things weren’t easy. He came to Ireland in 432. In 431 the creed we have at mass was reaffirmed at the Council of Ephesus. Why? Well there were arguments over when Jesus was just a man or if he was God. The Nicene creed was reaffirmed as an accurate expression of faith. It was like a statement of conclusions – an agreed document at the end of all their fighting. Another unfortunate legacy of that Council of Ephesus was bitterness and division. The meeting itself was said to be contentious, heated, and unfriendly. The decision to condemn certain heresies (Nestorianism) caused an immediate split in the Eastern Church, creating several splinter groups. Some of these survive today, including the Assyrian Church of the East and Chaldean Catholicism. No wonder that the poor man decided to get out of Rome where he’d been studying for many years and where he was missioned to go back to Ireland by Pope Celestine. Though the Pope did send Palladius before Patrick, he was banished by the King of Leinster. Furthermore, Rome and all its institutions after having a good run with Constantine, was brough to the ground by the Goths where, as St Jerome said, ‘Rome that was once capital of the world is now the grave of Roman people’.
The bottom line then is that if you are looking for the perfect time to follow God while on this earth is that there is no such thing. There are always hundreds of reason why one shouldn’t be a Christian, a Catholic or a mass-goer and similar reasons were on Patrick’s lap but rather than turning away he was drawn deeper into the mystery of God and the service of his kingdom. Furthermore, in the midst of all his faith he experienced a rich call of God to serve the Irish, the ones who stole his early childhood yet he willingly came back to minister to them.
The characteristics of his mission, as I see it were simply:
- He didn’t impose on people – he met them half way. He didn’t see them as atheists or pagans. He listened to their beliefs and he showed how Christianity complimented and enhanced what they already believed.
- In doing this he recognised that in every human heart there is a longing for mystery, a deeper life, somewhere to belong and connection with what lies beyond. He helped put form and shape on that. Though longing is often perceived to be a homeland it is a longing of the human heart for more. I remember reading a line from a nineteenth century medical report from the North of England where a group of doctors said that the Irish complain of a pain of the heart for which there is no medical cure.
- Thirdly in the midst of all the confusion in Rome he fixed on the person of Christ…not just Jesus as a nice human being as people often see him today but Christ – an expression of the Fathers love for the world with whom we can have a personal and deep relationship.
- Fourthly, he knew life was fragile. His prayer referred to as St. Patrick’s Breastplate sought the protection of God. From his many experiences he knew life’s vulnerability and that he was part of a bigger mystery giving him hope rather than reason to despair. Today with advances in technology and heightened individualism many think that they are untouchable yet we are vulnerable.
And so for us today in this world in which we live the story of faith is very much like Saint Patrick’s. There are many reasons why people shouldn’t or don’t believe but it comes down to choosing God and trusting his life giving story. Secondly, God doesn’t impose on us but works with us to create an unique relationship that can enhance the world and its people if we allow it to unfold. Thirdly, with all the side shows in the Church -debates about orthodoxy and Popes – just fix on the person of Christ. At the end of the day it is He who will welcome us to our reward not some dusty apologist or theologian. Fourthly, know we are not in control. We travel as fragile people in a world of challenges.
And so, with all this in mind, this prayer, written in the fifth century but maybe written for the twenty-first century, makes all the more sense –
May the Strength of God guide us.
May the Power of God preserve us.
May the Wisdom of God instruct us.
May the Hand of God protect us.
May the Way of God direct us.
May the Shield of God defend us.
May the Angels of God guard us.
– Against the snares of the evil one.
May Christ be with us!
May Christ be before us!
May Christ be in us,
Christ be over all!
May Thy Grace, Lord,
Always be ours,
This day, O Lord, and forevermore. Amen.