A DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT by Linda Sommerville
When you think of St. Patrick’s Day, what kinds of things come to mind? Wearing green clothing, shamrocks, eating Irish foods, leprechauns, or Celtic music? There are certainly many cultural ways of celebrating this day, but the origins of St. Patrick invite us to a very different kind of celebration. The life of this early Christian can inspire us to use March 17th (the day he is believed to have died), to become a day of worship and dedication to God.
Patrick, who lived in the 5th Century, began his journey with God when he was 16, after being kidnapped by Irish pirates and forced into a harsh life of slavery. While tending to the herds of his captors, he began to encounter God through the suffering he endured in the harsh wilderness of Ireland. Eventually, he committed his life to Christ. After six harsh and lonely years, he managed to escape and make his way back home to Britain, where he became a cleric and studied to become a leader in the church.
However, Patrick could not get the people of Ireland out of his heart and mind. After years of training and spiritual leadership, he sensed God’s call to go back to Ireland and evangelize the pagan tribal peoples of that country. This decision was costly, voluntarily leaving his home and family, and choosing to live in a hostile land where he had been a slave.
During Patrick’s years in Ireland, he is credited with evangelizing thousands of people and helping to found the church in that country, despite facing many dangers and difficulties. His faith caused him to give his life away to those who needed to hear the Good News about Jesus, becoming a beloved spiritual leader and saint in the history of Ireland.
So this year, as we prepare to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, we can enjoy wearing green clothing or tasting a McDonald’s Shamrock shake, but let’s also take a moment to reflect on the man behind the holiday. To help us do that, here is one of the many prayers of Patrick that have been passed down through the centuries. His prayer invites us to recognize who Christ is in our lives, and to let his light shine in and through us.
Take some time to read and reflect on the power of this prayer. Then pray this ancient prayer, and as you pray, open your heart to Christ and allow him to fill you with his light, and show you how he wants you to shine his light to those around you, especially those who need to know him.
Christ, as a light
Illumine and guide me
Christ, as a shield
overshadow me.
Christ under me;
Christ over me;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me,
Lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak;
in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light;
Christ as a shield;
Christ beside me
On my left and my right.