Saint of the Day - March 17 - St. Patrick
March 17
St. Patrick
Patron Saint of Ireland
Why is the shamrock associated with St. Patrick's Day?
Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, and has been associated with him and the Irish since that time.
Legends about Patrick abound; but truth is best served by our seeing
two solid qualities in him: He was humble and he was courageous. The
determination to accept suffering and success with equal indifference
guided the life of God’s instrument for winning most of Ireland for
Christ.
Details
of his life are uncertain. Current research places his dates of birth
and death a little later than earlier accounts. Patrick may have been
born in Dunbarton, Scotland, Cumberland, England, or in northern Wales.
He called himself both a Roman and a Briton. At 16, he and a large
number of his father’s slaves and vassals were captured by Irish
raiders and sold as slaves in Ireland. Forced to work as a shepherd, he
suffered greatly from hunger and cold.
After six years, Patrick
escaped, probably to France, and later returned to Britain at the age
of 22. His captivity had meant spiritual conversion. He may have
studied at Lerins, off the French coast; he spent years at Auxerre,
France, and was consecrated bishop at the age of 43. His great desire
was to proclaim the Good News to the Irish.
In a dream vision it
seemed “all the children of Ireland from their mothers’ wombs were
stretching out their hands” to him. He understood the vision to be a
call to do mission work in pagan Ireland. Despite opposition from those
who felt his education had been defective, he was sent to carry out the
task. He went to the west and north, where the faith had never been
preached, obtained the protection of local kings and made numerous
converts.
Because of the island’s pagan background, Patrick was
emphatic in encouraging widows to remain chaste and young women to
consecrate their virginity to Christ. He ordained many priests, divided
the country into dioceses, held Church councils, founded several
monasteries and continually urged his people to greater holiness in
Christ.
He suffered much opposition from pagan druids, and was
criticized in both England and Ireland for the way he conducted his
mission.
In a relatively short time the island had experienced
deeply the Christian spirit, and was prepared to send out missionaries
whose efforts were greatly responsible for Christianizing Europe.
Patrick
was a man of action, with little inclination toward learning. He had a
rocklike belief in his vocation, in the cause he had espoused.
One of the few certainly authentic writings is his Confessio, above all an act of homage to God for having called Patrick, unworthy sinner, to the apostolate.
There is hope rather than irony in the fact that his burial place is said to be in strife-torn Ulster, in County Down.
Comment:
What
distinguishes Patrick is the durability of his efforts. When one
considers the state of Ireland when he began his mission work, the vast
extent of his labors (all of Ireland) and how the seeds he planted
continued to grow and flourish, one can only admire the kind of man
Patrick must have been. The holiness of a person is known only by the
fruits of his or her work.
Quote:“Christ
shield me this day: 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 arise, Christ
in the heart of every person who thinks of me, Christ in the eye that
sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me” (from “The Breastplate of St.
Patrick”).
Prayer:
God our Father,
You sent Saint Patrick
to preach your glory to the people of Ireland.
By the help of his prayers,
May all Christians proclaim your love to all men.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen
Source: American Catholic Organization
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SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP
Do you:
feel afraid of your partner much of the time?
avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?
feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?
believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?
wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?
feel emotionally numb or helpless?
Does your partner:
- humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
- treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
- ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
- blame you for his own abusive behavior?
- see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?
Does your partner:
have a bad and unpredictable temper?
hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?
threaten to take your children away or harm them?
threaten to commit suicide if you leave?
force you to have sex?
destroy your belongings?
Does your partner:
- act excessively jealous and possessive?
- control where you go or what you do?
- keep you from seeing your friends or family?
- limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
- constantly check up on you?