Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, a day protestants know little about except that green beer will be available in a number of local bars. Oh...and we'll muse a bit about shamrocks and the luck of the Irish.
But, St. Pat, this bishop to the celtic peoples was so much more than that. His life is shrouded in mystery and myth--but we know that he was kidnapped and sold into slavery as a youth by a group of celtic pirates. As he worked in the beauty of creation, he developed a deep appreciation for God's creation and a thorough understanding of his celtic captures.
Patrick eventually escaped to feedom in England where he was schooled, we aren't sure where, and became a priest. Eventually, he requested that he be sent as a missionary to the very people who had enslaved him. The pope agreed, making him a bishop, and sending him probably with a small group of priests and other support staff to make his mark on the "Emerald Isle."
St. Pat worked tirelessly to bring the good news of the love of Jesus to these tribes that most Christians considered barbarian. Because he deeply respect and understood the history, culture and folklore of the people, he was able to make bridges between Christianity and their pre-Christian understanding.
He and his priests preached in the open-air, used songs, poetry, and ancient celtic symbols to engage the imaginations of this creative and mysterious people. In other words, he met the people where they were and encouraged them to bring the love of God in Christ translated into their unique cultural forms.
We have so much we can learn from St. Patrick. I'm sure he was far from perfect, but he did so many things as Jesus would. He learned to love his enemies, to be kind to those who had done wrong to him, packaged the faith in culturally familiar and creative ways, and spread the love of Jesus.
Ahh, that's the kind of church I dream of....
p lou
