St. Patrick's Day

Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. If you need wisdom – if you want to know what God wants you to do – ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. They can't make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do. (James 1:2-8 NLV).

Today is “St. Patrick’s Day.” It is celebrated in many countries and began as a memorial to a Roman Catholic priest who lived in the fourth Christian century. He was born in Wales about AD 385. His given name was Maewyn. He almost didn't get the appointment to bishop of Ireland because he lacked the required scholarship. Far from being a saint, until he was 16, he considered himself a pagan. At that age, he was sold into slavery by a group of Irish marauders that raided his village. During his captivity, he did draw closer to God. He escaped from slavery after six years and went to Gaul where he studied in the monastery under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre for a period of twelve years. During his training he became aware that his calling was to convert the pagans to Christianity. His wishes were to return to Ireland to convert the pagans that had overrun the country. And this fact upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity. His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since. Much Irish folklore surrounds St. Patrick's Day. Not much of it is actually substantiated. One traditional icon of the day is the shamrock. And this stems from a more bona fide Irish tale that tells how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day. One of the enduring features of his life was his understanding of man’s need to forgive. Forgiveness is essential to know freedom in life. Unforgiveness produces the “double-mindedness” James referenced in our Bible reading today. Forgiveness is not an easy task. I believe there are typically three main roadblocks to forgiveness.

1. The first is a lack of responsibility when it comes to owning up to our sinfulness. If we are unable to see our own faults and mistakes, how can we possibly move toward forgiveness in our relationships? We must first be able to admit that we are not perfect and that we are capable of hurting others.
2. Secondly, unresolved anger is a major hindrance to the healing power of forgiveness. If we refuse to let go of bitterness, rage or hatred, we are holding on to very destructive forces. These forces are in direct contrast to the power of forgiveness. The two forces cannot exist together. They are too different to be harmony between them.
3. Finally, many people have great misconceptions about what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is not forgetting the wrongs done to us. Forgiveness is releasing those who have hurt us into the hands of a loving God who desires to bring them into His grace and restore them by the work of Christ. Patrick embodied this kind of character. Even though he was passed over by the church hierarchy, imprisoned, and treated harshly, yet he used each of those experiences to deepen his love for God and those he was sent to reach.

The symbol of the day is the Shamrock. It represents the Trinity. It is the Father who loves us eternally, the Son who saves us completely, and the Holy Spirit who gives us the strength to live our lives in abundance and grace. Wear “the green” today and forgive as you have been forgiven!