March 17 marks the annual observance of St. Patrick’s Day. Sadly, most celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day today center around leprechauns, the color green, and decadent partying with rarely a mentioned of St. Patrick’s actual life or his work as a missionary for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
St. Patrick is often associated with Ireland so it might surprise you that he was not a native of Ireland. St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain around the year 385. He was born into a Christian family but apparently Patrick did not take the faith seriously in the days of his youth. When he was about 16 years old, he was taken captive by invaders from Ireland, and taken back as a slave to shepherd sheep.
His years as a slave were chiefly characterized by two things: being surrounded by pagan culture – the religion of the Druids and superstitious beliefs dominated the Irish landscape at this time – and extended periods of solitude. Ireland remained free from the Roman Empire and so was basically untouched by Rome’s development in areas such as roads and architecture. So as a shepherd-slave, Patrick spent extended periods isolated in the country away from towns and villages. It was during those stretches of seclusion in the green Irish hills tending sheep that God drew Patrick to himself. The truths he had heard as a young child finally, by God’s grace, took root in his heart.
Six years after being captured, Patrick sensed a call from the Lord, saying, “Soon you will go to your own country … see, your ship is ready.” He fled 200 miles on foot over hilly and rocky terrain to reach the coast and found a ship. Allowed to board, Patrick escaped from his captors and returned home.
But shortly after his arrival, he had a dream that God was calling him to return to the pagan land of his captivity. This sense of God’s call was heightened when he had a dream in which he saw a man from Ireland named Victoricus coming to him with many letters, the first one which began, “We ask you, holy boy, come and walk among us once more.”
“Against the pleas of his family, he left his home to proclaim the gospel in Ireland. He was sent as an official missionary by the church in 432 and eventually became the Bishop of Ireland.”
Against the pleas of his family, he left his home to proclaim the gospel in Ireland. He was sent as an official missionary by the church in 432 and eventually became the Bishop of Ireland. Though very few of his writings survive, it appears that St. Patrick’s ministry was one of proclaiming the gospel in an orthodox and faithful manner. Patrick was a pastor and shepherd to the people, no doubt something impressed upon him in his years tending sheep in the Irish countryside. St. Patrick died around 465, allegedly on March 17. His tomb is marked and can be visited in Armagh, Ireland to this day.
But Patrick’s ministry continued to have a tremendous impact on the church and its development even after his death. Because it remained isolated from the rest of Europe, when the Roman Empire fell to Germanic invaders, Christian Ireland began establishing monasteries, which became centers for learning and copying ancient Christian texts, preserving many important works. Ireland kept the flame of Christian knowledge burning. Furthermore, since the invaders attacking the Roman Empire were not Christians, the Irish began sending missionaries into Europe and Britain to spread the gospel and give stability to a crumbling kingdom. So important was the work of Irish Christians during this period that author James Cahill wrote a book called How the Irish Saved Civilization. Even if one questions Cahill’s title as a possible overstatement, it is undeniable that today’s world would look markedly different if not for Ireland and the ministry of St. Patrick.
While St. Patrick’s faithfulness and influence should be noted and commended, it’s ultimately the truths we learn about St. Patrick’s God that are worth celebrating. For example, one truth we see is that the difficult circumstances in our lives are used for God’s glory and our good. We would be right in asking the question, “Who was capturing St. Patrick at age 16?” In an important sense, God was capturing him and claiming him for blessing. Patrick’s life demonstrates the truth that God works all things together for the good of his people (see Romans 8:28). What his captors meant for evil God meant for good (see Genesis 50:20).
“While the life of St. Patrick provides us with an excellent opportunity to reflect on church history and find encouragement from the saints who have gone before, it is ultimately St. Patrick’s God we celebrate and who is worthy of our worship, our hearts, and our lives.”
We also see that God is faithful to His promise to build the church and that the gates of hell will not overcome it (see Matthew 16:18). He is directing the circumstances of history for the spreading of his kingdom. He is the Great Missionary, seeking worshippers from all nations, tribes, and tongues (see Revelation 7:9). In his love and grace, he called the people of Ireland – and then used them to preserve the truth and to spread the gospel to others.
And he used an ordinary person like Patrick to accomplish great things. We can be encouraged because he is still building the church and he is still using ordinary people like you and me who are willing to go where he leads and bear witness to the Crucified and Risen Christ as lights in a dark place (see Matthew 5:14). God uses ordinary people as instruments to testify to the power of his grace, his love, and his redemption – a grace that was evident in the life of St. Patrick. Let it be evident in ours as well.
While the life of St. Patrick provides us with an excellent opportunity to reflect on church history and find encouragement from the saints who have gone before, it is ultimately St. Patrick’s God we celebrate and who is worthy of our worship, our hearts, and our lives.