03/17/2021
As common to the holidays in the United States, the spiritual underpinnings can be overlooked or perverted to humanistic endeavors. St. Patrick's Day has become more about wearing green or drinking green beer (at which point I would turn green). However, the life and work of the Catholic priest, Saint Patrick (who was never officially given sainthood by the Vatican) is interesting. The following story is not one that has been substantiated by empirical evidence, but it is worth pondering as we know we serve a miracle-working God. As someone with some English-Irish-German heritage, I was engaged in musing over the following story.
"As Patrick came near to Dublin, at that time a small village, he prophesied, "This village which is now very small shall hereafter become very eminent. It shall be enlarged in riches and dignity. Neither shall it cease to grow until it has become the principal seat of all the kingdom."
When the people of Dublin, having heard of the great signs and miracles that were done through Patrick, and when they saw that he was coming to that village, they went out to meet him.
At this time, Alphinus was the king over Dublin. He and all the citizens were in great sorrow for the death of the king's two children. The king's only son, called Eochadh, had died [of] a sickness in his bedroom. The king's daughter, and a sister to the young prince, had just been drowned in the adjoining river, now known as the Liffey. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
She had ventured into the deep part for the purpose of bathing. Her name was Dublinia, and from her Dublin is thought to have derived its name (Joceylyn note). The young lady's body was drawn out of the waters after some considerable searching and laid by her brother's co**se in order that their funeral rites might be solemnized together.
According to the superstition of the Druids, the tombs were prepared. In the meantime, news was spread over all the city that "St. Patrick, the powerful reviver of many dead persons" (what a reputation!), had been seen in the town. For He, who burst asunder the gates of death and of Hell, smoothed the path for His servant.
The king and the people, who before had said to the Lord, "Depart from us, we will not acknowledge any of Thy ways," were so cast down, saddened with grief, that all of their rebellion and all their barbarous rudeness, and all the pride of their idolatry, were utterly subdued.
The king had previously rejected the Gospel because he had his Druid wizards, who were pretty powerful. And so the king, hearing of St. Patrick's arrival, sent messengers to ask him to come in where his two children lay dead.
When Patrick came to the room in which the two children were laid, the king asked him if he could do anything. Patrick replied that he could, but if the children were raised then he would do it in the name of Jesus – and told the king that if God did this for him then he would have to promise to serve his God, the God of the Christians. The king agreed, before all those present, that if God restored his children to life, he and all the citizens would become Christians.
Seeing such a gain of souls in the sight of the king, his nobles, and all the common people, Patrick raised from death to life those princely children, whose bodily resurrection co-operated much towards the spiritual resurrection of their father with the rest of his people. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
The king and all his subjects, being astonished at this great miracle, turned away from the worship of Druid idols, and they were baptized in the River Liffey.
From that day the king and all the people worshiped God and gave liberally to Patrick, so that he was able to give to the poor in that place and other places, and have enough to build churches." (Walters, n. d.)
Reference
Walters, K. (n.d.). How St. Patrick Won Dublin to the Lord. Retrieved from https://elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=25191.
You'll find out that St. Patrick is not the story of green this or green that, nor was he about Leprechauns or about other odd things that are celebrated on St. Patrick's day.
