Saint Patrick's Day! :)

[BetheButterfly]

My husband is working today, so I've been spending the time without him here learning about Saint Patrick!

 

Even though I am not Catholic (I am Protestant) i greatly admire many Catholics, including Mother Theresa for her hard, caring work helping poor people with diseases. Another Catholic who I very much admire is Patrick! One reason that I admire him is because my ancestors are from the UK (England, Ireland, and Scotland) and Patrick was used by God to bring Christian teachings/beliefs to Ireland!!!

 

Now in history at that time, the Romans had pretty much taken over Britain. Reports about the ethnicity of Patrick are that he is Welsh or Roman or Scottish Roman... Please note that he is not Irish. His biological name is Maewyn Succat. His Dad was a Roman tax collector, as well as a deacon in a church in the vicinity. Sadly, his Dad owned many slaves, which tragically was normal at that time. When Maewyn was 16 years old, his household was robbed and he was captured and sold as a slave to chiefs in Ireland. He became a Christian during his slavery (though his Irish masters were not Christian) and after 6 years of slavery, escaped, went back to Britain and studied in a monastery, and came back to Ireland to be a missionary. It is said that he explained the Trinity doctrine by using the three leafs of a shamrock clover, which makes sense to many people. The shamrock clover is very symbolic to the Irish people. He set up many churches and schools, and is very dear to the hearts of many Irish people even today! Because education is so important to me, I really like that he set up schools! Most importantly, because by choice I have accepted Jesus as my Savior, I am so happy that God used this man to bring Christian beliefs to Ireland. Before this, many Irish people were headhunters and Druids.

 

I hope that Patrick did not kill headhunters and Druids, because that is against Jesus' teachings. Jesus did not teach his followers to kill anyone!

 

Now, concerning the critics, some people nowadays accuse him of selling slaves in order to go to Ireland. This however makes no sense, because he was 16 when he was kidnapped and was himself sold as a slave. 16 year old boys do not tend to sell their family's slaves in order to go to a country where they don't know the language and where he, a solo Roman boy, would be in the midst of enemies at 16 years old! It was during his captivity that he learned the Celtic (Irish) language fluently. The critics also state that the only way out of slavery at that time was to be "redeemed." However, there are countless accounts of slaves all around the world throughout the generations, I suppose since slavery first started, who escaped slavery by running away and going back to their home from which they were captured.

 

I think it would be awesome to read what Patrick wrote! In his writings, Patrick talks about his capture at 16 and how he escaped, which included him hearing a voice, fasting, and running away.

 

Oh, this is cool! I think I found the "Confesso" by Saint Patrick, translated into English:

 

http://www.robotwisd...atrick.html#one !

 

This is a place where Patrick writes of his captivity, slavery, and escape:

 

"1. I, Patrick, a sinner, a most simple countryman, the least of all the faithful and most contemptible to many, had for father the deacon Calpurnius, son of the late Potitus, a priest, of the settlement [vicus] of Bannavem Taburniae; he had a small villa nearby where I was taken captive. I was at that time about sixteen years of age. I did not, indeed, know the true God; and I was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people, according to our deserts, for quite drawn away from God, we did not keep his precepts, nor were we obedient to our priests who used to remind us of our salvation. And the Lord brought down on us the fury of his being and scattered us among many nations, even to the ends of the earth, where I, in my smallness, am now to be found among foreigners.

2. And there the Lord opened my mind to an awareness of my unbelief, in order that, even so late, I might remember my transgressions and turn with all my heart to the Lord my God, who had regard for my insignificance and pitied my youth and ignorance. And he watched over me before I knew him, and before I learned sense or even distinguished between good and evil, and he protected me, and consoled me as a father would his son.

3. Therefore, indeed, I cannot keep silent, nor would it be proper, so many favours and graces has the Lord deigned to bestow on me in the land of my captivity. For after chastisement from God, and recognizing him, our way to repay him is to exalt him and confess his wonders before every nation under heaven."

 

and

 

"

15. And I was not worthy, nor was I such that the Lord should grant his humble servant this, that after hardships and such great trials, after captivity, after many years, he should give me so much favour in these people, a thing which in the time of my youth I neither hoped for nor imagined.

16. But after I reached Ireland I used to pasture the flock each day and I used to pray many times a day. More and more did the love of God, and my fear of him and faith increase, and my spirit was moved so that in a day [i said] from one up to a hundred prayers, and in the night a like number; besides I used to stay out in the forests and on the mountain and I would wake up before daylight to pray in the snow, in icy coldness, in rain, and I used to feel neither ill nor any slothfulness, because, as I now see, the Spirit was burning in me at that time.

17. And it was there of course that one night in my sleep I heard a voice saying to me: 'You do well to fast: soon you will depart for your home country.' And again, a very short time later, there was a voice prophesying: 'Behold, your ship is ready.' And it was not close by, but, as it happened, two hundred miles away, where I had never been nor knew any person. And shortly thereafter I turned about and fled from the man with whom I had been for six years, and I came, by the power of God who directed my route to advantage (and I was afraid o nothing), until I reached that ship.

18. And on the same day that I arrived, the ship was setting out from the place, and I said that I had the wherewithal to sail with them; and the steersman was displeased and replied in anger, sharply: 'By no means attempt to go with us.' Hearing this I left them to go to the hut where I was staying, and on the way I began to pray, and before the prayer was finished I heard one of them shouting loudly after me: 'Come quickly because the men are calling you.' And immediately I went back to them and they started to say to me: 'Come, because we are admitting you out of good faith; make friendship with us in any way you wish.' (And so, on that day, I refused to suck the breasts of these men from fear of God, but nevertheless I had hopes that they would come to faith in Jesus Christ, because they were barbarians.) And for this I continued with them, and forthwith we put to sea.

19. And after three days we reached land, and for twenty-eight days journeyed through uninhabited country, and the food ran out and hunger overtook them; and one day the steersman began saying: 'Why is it, Christian? You say your God is great and all-powerful; then why can you not pray for us? For we may perish of hunger; it is unlikely indeed that we shall ever see another human being.' In fact, I said to them, confidently: 'Be converted by faith with all your heart to my Lord God, because nothing is impossible for him, so that today he will send food for you on your road, until you be sated, because everywhere he abounds.' And with God's help this came to pass; and behold, a herd of swine appeared on the road before our eyes, and they slew many of them, and remained there for two nights, and the were full of their meat and well restored, for many of them had fainted and would otherwise have been left half dead by the wayside. And after this they gave the utmost thanks to God, and I was esteemed in their eyes, and from that day they had food abundantly. They discovered wild honey, besides, and they offered a share to me, and one of them said: 'It is a sacrifice.' Thanks be to God, I tasted none of it.

20. The very same night while I was sleeping Satan attacked me violently, as I will remember as long as I shall be in this body; and there fell on top of me as it were, a huge rock, and not one of my members had any force. But from whence did it come to me, ignorant in the spirit, to call upon 'Helias'? And meanwhile I saw the sun rising in the sky, and while I was crying out 'Helias, Helias' with all my might, lo, the brilliance of that sun fell upon me and immediately shook me free of all the weight; and I believe that I was aided by Christ my Lord, and that his Spirit then was crying out for me, and I hope that it will be so in the day of my affliction, just as it says in the Gospel: 'In that hour', the Lord declares, 'it is not you who speaks but the Spirit of your Father speaking in you.'

21. And a second time, after many years, I was taken captive. On the first night I accordingly remained with my captors, but I heard a divine prophecy, saying to me: 'You shall be with them for two months. So it happened. On the sixtieth night the Lord delivered me from their hands.

22. On the journey he provided us with food and fire and dry weather every day, until on the tenth day we came upon people. As I mentioned above, we had journeyed through an unpopulated country for twenty-eight days, and in fact the night that we came upon people we had no food.

23. And after a few 'ears I was again in Britain with my parents [kinsfolk], and the welcomed me as a son, and asked me, in faith, that after the great tribulations I had endured I should not go an where else away from them. And, of course, there, in a vision of the night, I saw a man whose name was Victoricus coming as it from Ireland with innumerable letters, and he gave me one of them, and I read the beginning of the letter: 'The Voice of the Irish', and as I was reading the beginning of the letter I seemed at that moment to hear the voice of those who were beside the forest of Foclut which is near the western sea, and the were crying as if with one voice: 'We beg you, holy youth, that you shall come and shall walk again among us.' And I was stung intensely in my heart so that I could read no more, and thus I awoke. Thanks be to God, because after so many ears the Lord bestowed on them according to their cry."

 

http://www.robotwisd...atrick.html#one

 

Very interesting.

 

 

Sad to say, today in the USA, many people will use this day as an excuse to get filthy drunk. I don't know why. It is interesting that in Ireland, until the 1970's, pubs were not open on Saint Patrick's day.

Edited March 17, 2012 by BetheButterfly

[OpenBook]

The shamrock clover is very symbolic to the Irish people.

 

No kidding! I was not aware of that. <buurrrrrppp>

 

Happy St. Paddy's Day Everyone! Cheers!!!

[Diamonds&Rust]

It is said that he explained the Trinity doctrine by using the three leafs of a shamrock clover, which makes sense to many people. The shamrock clover is very symbolic to the Irish people.

FYI, the symbolism predates Christianity, though it is a good parable to describe the trinity.

Before this, many Irish people were headhunters and Druids.

I'm aware of the practice you're referring to, but I don't think it's accurate to say that many Irish people were headhunters before Christians came along.

 

There are still non-Christians in Ireland. The conversion to Christianity was not entirely peaceful, as history repeatedly shows. Also, many "Pagan" practices endured after conversion to Christianity.

 

The letter you posted is considered St. Patrick's more important work, but there is another letter that he wrote that survives:

A Letter To The Soldiers Of Coroticus

 

Sad to say, today in the USA, many people will use this day as an excuse to get filthy drunk. I don't know why.

You don't have any idea why?

It is interesting that in Ireland, until the 1970's, pubs were not open on Saint Patrick's day.

Really? I wasn't aware of that. The Irish reputation for alcoholism doesn't have modern origins. Pub culture goes back many centuries, it's probably as culturally important as Christianity. I thought Good Friday was the only day with restrictions on alcohol in Ireland, I think I read that in Frank Delaney's great book about Ireland:

Amazon.com: Ireland: A Novel (9780060563486): Frank Delaney: Books

 

That's one of my favorite books ever and it will certainly be a good read for you if you're interested in Irish history. It's a novel, not a history book, but it does an excellent job of enchanting you with the entire tale of Ireland from prehistory to The Troubles and interwoven is a powerful narrative about the art of storytelling and experience of family ties.

 

Cool thread. Gotta go though, this whiskey won't drink itself.