Happy Saint Patrick’s Day – We have a lot we can learn from Saint Patrick. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland was born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, around 387 AD. His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britain and were in charge of the colonies.
Irish raiders kidnapped Patrick when he was just 14 years of age. His captors were Druids and pagans. He was made a slave, and forced to herd sheep. Herding sheep took him to mountain pastures & forests. Patrick sensing God began praying to God seeking him out and building his relationship with God.
OK, let’s stop the story for a moment and take a side track. When I‘ve spoken to some of my friends about Christ love and salvation, many times I get the question, “What about the person in the third world country who lives in the bush and has never spoken to anyone about Christ. What’s the plan for them?” Patrick exemplifies God’s desire to reach out everyone and how he can build a relationship one on one. This is described further in Bible verse, Hebrews 11:6. So back to Patrick’s story: God speaks to Patrick in a dream and tells him how he can escape Ireland and return back to his homeland. Patrick follows God’s prompting and is able to return to his family. Patrick doesn’t leave it there. He continues to seek God, studying and gaining priesthood. In another dream God encourages Patrick to return to Ireland and tell the people there about Christ’s love and salvation. By doing this, Patrick provides us with another lesson learned. This lesson is one of forgiveness as pictured by Patrick’s return to and evangelization of Ireland. Saint Patrick died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, March 17th, 461. You can learn more about Saint Patrick by clicking here.
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