Lessons from the Life of St. Patrick

My ancestry is English, Scottish and Irish. But in my family, we only talk about the Irish part. So today seems like the perfect time to do that.

St. Patrick’s day marks the death of the patron saint of Ireland in 460 AD. Parades, shamrocks, green (?!?) beer. But what about the real St. Patrick (who, as far as we know, never drank green beer), and what can we learn from this remarkable life?

Here are the short facts:

Patrick was born in western Scotland in 387, the son of prominent Roman parents. One day, Celtic raiders captured Patrick and took him to Ireland as a slave. After some time, he was sent onto a mountainside to tend sheep; six years of isolation and loneliness turned into a life of prayer. It was here that Patrick first encountered God. One day he heard a voice telling him, “It is now time to go.” He traveled a dangerous 200 mile journey to the coast; as a runaway slave Patrick faced almost certain death if captured. He made it to a harbor and from there sailed back to England.

But his years alone of prayer and meditation had changed Patrick forever. There was a passion in his heart for Ireland to encounter the same Jesus who had captured Patrick’s heart. Rather than staying at home with his family, he went on to Gaul (France) where he studied and trained for 15 years. He was eventually made a bishop in Gaul, but the fire in his heart for Ireland never waned. Finally, Patrick was able to return, but by now he was 45 years old, which at that time was very late indeed.

Patrick preached about Christ everywhere; he traveled the whole of Ireland establishing hundreds of churches and baptizing tens of thousands of new believers in the midst of a warring, violent pagan land that practiced slavery and human sacrifice. Imagine the challenge of penetrating a country with over 1,500 years of Celtic paganism. Imagine withstanding the rejection, abuse, threats made upon his life. But Patrick refused to quit. His writings reflect both his gentle, humble demeanor and his passionate determination. During his lifetime, he saw Ireland reject its paganism and turn to Jesus. Within 200 years, Ireland was totally Christian. Patrick’s vision grew–he sent missionaries to England who, in turn, raised up missionaries who brought the gospel to Germany, France and other European countries.

What Did Patrick Achieve?

By his death in 460–just 28 years after arriving in Ireland–Ireland was forever a changed nation. He was the first church leader in history to oppose slavery. (After all, Patrick knew its effects first hand.) Patrick had a flexible approach to sharing the Gospel. He was sensitive to, and even used the culture of the Irish to allow them to understand and receive the Good News. Through the monasteries that he founded, Patrick a key part in preserving culture and literacy in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.

How Can Patrick’s Life Challenge Us to Move Forward on Our Journey?

1. God brings testing into into our lives to refine us and to prepare us for the next step.
2. Like Patrick, we need to recognize when it is time to go. There are seasons when God calls us to step out from what we have been doing. To respond requires faith and often courage. We need to remember, this call is an invitation to what God wants to do in and through us.
3. Patrick was not a young man. He did not disqualify himself because of his age.
4. Patrick’s vision was a fire inside of him that propelled him into his destiny. But, responding moved him from the comfort and success of being an educated priest in France to the uncertainty of going into pagan Ireland. Where did Patrick get this fiery passion?
5. Time along with God. Over period of six years, Patrick developed a secret history with God. He began to recognize that God was talking to him. Time alone with God leads to true intimacy with Him. And intimacy is what leads to fruit that lasts. (Jn 15:4-8). It is in the secret history with God where Patrick’s heart and life became completely centered.
6. The Irish King allowed Patrick to preach throughout Ireland because he was confronted by the radical contrast between his own lifestyle and that of this passionate Christian missionary.
7. Patrick was willing to be flexible in his approach to presenting the Gospel (not to its content). The culture of the Irish was not a liability, but a help to sharing the Gospel. We need to stay culturally sensitive and recognize opportunities.
8. Patrick stood strongly against oppression first hand, and was the first church leader to stand up against slavery. We need to remember that we are called to follow Jesus who was sent to proclaim freedom for the captives and to release the oppressed. (Lu 4:18). This takes courage, strength and perseverance. In this, we can learn from Patrick.

We have no idea the difference that one life can make when that life is radically dedicated to following the footsteps of Jesus. On this day of parades, shamrocks and green beer, we can be thankful for the powerful example that Patrick has left us–the power of an intentional and devotional life well lived.

Here is Patrick’s hymn, Breastplate:

I arise today through the strength of Christ with His Baptism,
through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial
through the strength of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
I arise today, through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me,

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right,
Christ on my left, Christ in breadth, Christ in length,
Christ in height, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.