Lisa Hendey
Although I haven’t set foot outside my own home today, I know the rest of the world is draped in kelly green.
Like Christmas, the annual celebration of St. Patrick’s day seems to start earlier each year. There’s one person in my life, not a person of faith, who faithfully replaces their Valentine’s day pink stuff with a menagerie of green decorations on the morning of February 15.
St. Patrick’s Day shouldn’t be about green milkshakes at a fast food restaurant or cute T-shirts at Old Navy.
It shouldn’t be an excuse to drink to excess or to skip a day of work.
But it should indeed be a celebration. We feast today to remember a real man who lived a life of courage and faith. Although many of the true facts of his life have been lost to history, we remember St. Patrick as the spiritual shepherd who carried Christianity to a new home and inspired many to belief.
Over the last several months, I had the opportunity to delve into the life of this amazing saint. Many of you know that I am putting the finishing touches on my most recent book project: Chime Travelers. This fun series of books, aimed at readers ages 7-10, hopes to spark a love for the lives of the saints by sharing fun characters, exciting adventures, and real lessons about our Catholic faith.
The first book in the series is The Secret of the Shamrock: St. Patrick (Chime Travelers). In this story, we meet our story’s characters, but also St. Patrick at a point in his very early life. To prepare to write the book, I did a lot of research on the REAL St. Patrick. I read biographies, but most importantly his own Confessio, and even prayed near the spot in Ireland where he is (supposedly) laid to rest.
When you study Patrick’s life, you have to parse through the legend and lore. You have to skip through the snakes. And yes, even the shamrocks themselves according to some sources…
But what we know most authoritatively about this remarkable man is set out in his own words. There, we read his honest conversion story, travel through his own struggles, and return with him to his beloved Ireland.
That is why I cannot be silent – nor would it be good to do so – about such great blessings and such a gift that the Lord so kindly bestowed in the land of my captivity. This is how we can repay such blessings, when our lives change and we come to know God, to praise and bear witness to his great wonders before every nation under heaven. St. Patrick, Confessio p.3
I’m not going to be a party-pooper today and tell you not to wear green or down a pint or two.
But I’m inviting you to spend a bit of time in the revelry to get to know this real man, this true saint, and what he stood for. Read the Confessio yourself. Better yet, receive the Eucharist. Tell a friend about your faith or invite them to Mass next Sunday. Praise God in prayer and remember the many in our world who have yet to truly know and love Jesus Christ.
Have a beer, maybe even a green one.
But know why you’re drinking it. And who you’re toasting…
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