The True Meaning of the Holiday

Note - Parts of this post are taken from the book, How the Irish Saved Civilization.

How often have we heard it or said it ourselves?  As children climb on Santa’s lap or look for colored eggs we often reflect, “Aren't they forgetting the true meaning of the day?”

This is the story of a boy who was kidnapped from his homeland at sixteen.  He was taken to a foreign land and forced into slavery as a shepherd.  While his days and nights were spent cold and hungry, he filled himself with prayer.  And after six years of captivity he received a vision from God who told him to leave, escape that is, head for the coast and find a ship. 

And so he left.  He slipped away in the night and traveled 200 miles as an escaped slave to the coast.  Here he found a ship, but was refused passage because he was an escaped slave.  So he turned to the Lord in prayer.  When the ship tried to leave the shore, their cargo of dogs went crazy and could not be controlled.  Only when they allowed the young man aboard did the dogs settle.   

After crossing the water, the ship came ashore in an area that had been sacked by raiders.  There was no food to be found.  The ship’s crew began to mock him, saying, “Did you’re God bring you from slavery to let you starve?”  Once again, he turned to the Lord in prayer and soon a group of pigs were seen walking down the road towards them.  Once again, the Lord had provided.

He eventually was able to return home, finish his studies and join the ministry.  After many years as a monk he received another vision.  This one told him to return to the land of his captors to preach the Gospel.  He answered the call to return to a land where escaped slaves were roasted alive as sacrifices to pagan gods.  And so it was that a man named Patrick returned to the land of his captivity, Ireland, on a mission to set his captors free. 

And he got them all.  Over the next 40 years Patrick established over 300 churches and converted the entirety of the Irish people.  It is the only known time in history when a full scale conversion of a population took place in a single generation without bloodshed.

So how did he do it?  

He did it by showing them Love and preaching the Gospel in a relevant way that was free of the baggage of Roman culture.  He incorporated the symbols and events of their culture into his teaching.  So instead of building massive bonfires to pay tribute to the Druidic gods; they celebrated the rebirth of Christ by building massive bonfires.  He superimposed an image of the Sun, a powerful symbol of their culture, onto the cross to produce what we call today the Celtic cross.  And he famously used the three leaved shamrocks as a reminder of the trinity, three in one.   

Patrick died on March 17^th.  

So when they dye the river green in Chicago, or march in parades in Boston, when people gather across America to drink green beer and sing “O Danny Boy”, do they remember the meaning of the day?

The following is a prayer written by St. Patrick.

LORICA OF SAINT PATRICK

Note: “Lorica” litterally means breastplate.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength,

The invocation of the Trinity,

Through a belief in the Threeness,

Through confession of the Oneness

Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today

Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,

Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,

Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,

Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today

Through the strength of the love of cherubim,

In obedience of angels,

In service of archangels,

In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

In the prayers of patriarchs,

In preachings of the apostles,

In faiths of confessors,

In innocence of virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of the wind,

Depth of the sea,

Stability of the earth,

Firmness of the rock.

I arise today

Through God's strength to pilot me;

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me,

God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's hosts to save me

From snares of the devil,

From temptations of vices,

From every one who desires me ill,

Afar and anear,

Alone or in a multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,

Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,

Against incantations of false prophets,

Against black laws of pagandom,

Against false laws of heretics,

Against craft of idolatry,

Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,

Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ shield me today

Against poison, against burning,

Against drowning, against wounding,

So that reward may come to me in abundance.

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 sit down,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me,

Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through a belief in the Threeness,

Through a confession of the Oneness

Of the Creator of creation

Salvation is of the Lord
Salvation is of the Lord
Salvation is of Christ
May thy salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.

St. Patrick (ca. 377)