I have a confession to make. I am a recovering Irishwoman.
I’ve always been proud of my Irish roots (on me mother’s side, ye ken), and spent a long time researching our family’s Irish genealogy, but the most I can come up with is about 25% Irish. So on this day, I celebrate with a quarter of my heart, and I secretly think Irish thoughts.
What exactly is an “Irish thought?” I suppose you would get a different response from every Irish person in the world. But to me an Irish thought is a wistful sort of thing, a poetic meandering through the rocky beaches of the mind. It is part philosophy, part observational science, part myth and whimsy, and part praise to our heavenly Father who created all things.
But why am I recovering, you ask? Well, I’ve been sick for a few days, but I am making progress!
And in the meantime, it’s St Patrick’s Day! (Are you wearing green?)
Myths about St. Patrick abound, and who am I to say yea or nay? As a researcher, I know that the myths you debunk today will soon be replaced by the true stories so strange that you hesitate to share them. And surely, there are strange stories connected to St. Patrick.
But one of the stories that remains in my mind when I think of St. Patrick is the story of how he had the faith to build an Easter Fire. In response to the leading of the Holy Spirit, on the night before Easter (Holy Saturday) at midnight in the year 432 A.D., St. Patrick built a Paschal (Passover) Fire, a “High King Fire.” He built it to honor the High King Jesus Christ, and also did it in opposition to the King of Ireland, who had proclaimed that no other fire be built than his. People came from all over Ireland for the king’s festival fire, and no one else was allowed to light even a home fire that night, on pain of death.
When the festival goers saw the blaze that St. Patrick and his men had built and lit before their festival fire even showed a spark, they alerted the king. The King ordered St. Patrick’s fire to be extinguished, and St. Patrick and his men be put to death. But when the King’s men arrived on the adjoining hill, they were astonished to find that the fire could not be put out, and that St. Patrick and his men had vanished. All they saw was a herd of deer followed by one fawn.
Later, St. Patrick penned a prayer called “The Deer’s Cry” (aka The Lorica or “St. Patrick’s Breastplate.”) The full prayer is rich and beautiful, deep and contemplative.
In 2007, a part of the prayer was put to music.
The only way to be fully surrounded by Christ is to be a branch fed by the vine, a believer connected to and nourished by Christ, who has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. That promise is comfort, indeed, in these turbulent times.
So we have a lot going on: Sickness, change, missing dear friends, and facing new challenges. But we know that the Lord is with us every day, providing the light to go just one more foot in the dark, and comforting us when we rush to Him. All these things we are going through are designed to strengthen our faith, not to destroy us.
Are you struggling, too? I hope not. But if you are, hold on to the Lord Jesus Christ, dear ones, and celebrate Him! Yes, there is turmoil, but so many things are being made right, too. Some things must be torn down so that new things can arise, but in all things, remember to “ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” (Jeremiah 6:16)
The Fullers Four 