He is an old soul, this Patrick.
I have known several lovely Patricks in my life, but this Patrick somehow connects me to the Saint we celebrate today. After all, 1620 years ago, he was a little boy too. My modern friend is one of the kindest I have ever met. On the first day of our acquaintance, as his family and ours were sitting companionably on our wall at 1008 St. Patrick Street, (really!) he thought the conversation might be going too long to continue without sustenance. Before we knew it, we were handed granola bars and mugs of milk so that we might be fed. Mind you, we were on our side of the street, but we had not thought of such a thing. Patrick’s ‘wide boundary’ version of hospitality has continued, from a glad cry of greeting to impromptu gifts of flowers. He cannot know this—-or might he?—-but these wee flowers, which are the float-in-a-bowl variety as the stems are left to live on for another day, take me swiftly back to the early days of my own mommy-hood. They connect my past to my present with wistful joy. Last night, after his mother had cooked a lovely dinner for our Wednesday night group, he was blissful on her behalf. When she left the table he looked at the rest of us with joy brimming in his eyes. “Everyone is obsessed with Cindy’s cooking!” he said proudly, as though he had no claim on this event. He just loved for her, without bringing the attention to himself that the words, “My Mom” might have done.
Watching this Patrick and his wise and kind habits has given me a renewed connection to the Patrick of old we celebrate every March —whether Irish or not! The person for whom the Chicago River turns green every March was born in the 380’s (historians differ!) and kidnapped by pirates when he was 14. He was forced to be a slave in Ireland, and as a result of his miraculous escape, he turned his life over to God, returning to Ireland at the Pope’s behest to evangelize the pagan population. What really clicked into place for me today is that his prayer (which we all know from Hymn 370, “I bind unto myself today. . . .” must have been a strong example of his gracious evangelism.
The pagan population he addressed would have been strongly tied to Creation and worshiping several gods with natural images. Airmid was the keeper of medicinal plants and responsible for the return of Spring. Bel was the Celtic god of sun and fire. For Patrick to focus on the Trinity was a bridge to the many gods the Irish people honored. His focus on creation would have also welcomed them into the Christian theology:
These are the words of the hymn, with a translation by Cecil Francis Alexander in the 19th century and married to Stanford’s tune. But a closer translation, by Kuno Myer, is probably this:
Surely those are words upon which we can all agree. These are a part of God’s Creation which we cannot dispute. St. Patrick found what he had in common with the people who had enslaved him, and he invited them into a deeper understanding of God’s power and grace through Jesus Christ. His approach was one of love, hospitality and kindness and the Irish people responded in huge numbers.
This is an election year, and at a ridiculous rate we are allowing our deep divisions to lead us to a place of defensive fear. Instead of finding out the many things we actually have in common, we polarize, divide and isolate ourselves. We do not look for knowledge, but instead respond emotionally. As you celebrate St. Patrick today, why not consider offering a mug of milk or a sweet stemless flower to someone who does not see the world the way you do. The results might surprise you, as you find a fellow member of God’s Creation, someone who knows the depth of the or the stability of the earth just as you do. You might have more in common than you think!
http://www.dhstelegram.com/blog/2011/03/17/st-patricks-day/
http://www.stpatricksday-2016.com/st-patricks-day-chicago-2016-parade-river-floats/590/
All my love, Janey+
I have known several lovely Patricks in my life, but this Patrick somehow connects me to the Saint we celebrate today. After all, 1620 years ago, he was a little boy too. My modern friend is one of the kindest I have ever met. On the first day of our acquaintance, as his family and ours were sitting companionably on our wall at 1008 St. Patrick Street, (really!) he thought the conversation might be going too long to continue without sustenance. Before we knew it, we were handed granola bars and mugs of milk so that we might be fed. Mind you, we were on our side of the street, but we had not thought of such a thing. Patrick’s ‘wide boundary’ version of hospitality has continued, from a glad cry of greeting to impromptu gifts of flowers. He cannot know this—-or might he?—-but these wee flowers, which are the float-in-a-bowl variety as the stems are left to live on for another day, take me swiftly back to the early days of my own mommy-hood. They connect my past to my present with wistful joy. Last night, after his mother had cooked a lovely dinner for our Wednesday night group, he was blissful on her behalf. When she left the table he looked at the rest of us with joy brimming in his eyes. “Everyone is obsessed with Cindy’s cooking!” he said proudly, as though he had no claim on this event. He just loved for her, without bringing the attention to himself that the words, “My Mom” might have done.
Watching this Patrick and his wise and kind habits has given me a renewed connection to the Patrick of old we celebrate every March —whether Irish or not! The person for whom the Chicago River turns green every March was born in the 380’s (historians differ!) and kidnapped by pirates when he was 14. He was forced to be a slave in Ireland, and as a result of his miraculous escape, he turned his life over to God, returning to Ireland at the Pope’s behest to evangelize the pagan population. What really clicked into place for me today is that his prayer (which we all know from Hymn 370, “I bind unto myself today. . . .” must have been a strong example of his gracious evangelism.
The pagan population he addressed would have been strongly tied to Creation and worshiping several gods with natural images. Airmid was the keeper of medicinal plants and responsible for the return of Spring. Bel was the Celtic god of sun and fire. For Patrick to focus on the Trinity was a bridge to the many gods the Irish people honored. His focus on creation would have also welcomed them into the Christian theology:
I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven
the glorious sun's life-giving ray,
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea,
around the old eternal rocks.
These are the words of the hymn, with a translation by Cecil Francis Alexander in the 19th century and married to Stanford’s tune. But a closer translation, by Kuno Myer, is probably this:
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendour of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.
Surely those are words upon which we can all agree. These are a part of God’s Creation which we cannot dispute. St. Patrick found what he had in common with the people who had enslaved him, and he invited them into a deeper understanding of God’s power and grace through Jesus Christ. His approach was one of love, hospitality and kindness and the Irish people responded in huge numbers.
This is an election year, and at a ridiculous rate we are allowing our deep divisions to lead us to a place of defensive fear. Instead of finding out the many things we actually have in common, we polarize, divide and isolate ourselves. We do not look for knowledge, but instead respond emotionally. As you celebrate St. Patrick today, why not consider offering a mug of milk or a sweet stemless flower to someone who does not see the world the way you do. The results might surprise you, as you find a fellow member of God’s Creation, someone who knows the depth of the or the stability of the earth just as you do. You might have more in common than you think!
http://www.dhstelegram.com/blog/2011/03/17/st-patricks-day/
http://www.stpatricksday-2016.com/st-patricks-day-chicago-2016-parade-river-floats/590/
All my love, Janey+
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