Many are surprised to find that St. Patrick’s Day has anything to do with the gospel and the church, which it created.Like many of the church’s holy days, the commemoration of the life and death of St. Patrick has become little more than a commercial opportunity and excuse for acceptable partying. Now, it’s obvious that any culture that feels it needs an excuse for festivity is far gone from the gospel, but this day is particularly telling in how far we’ve gone…in how much we’ve forgotten.
First of all, there’s the “Saint” thing in the name. I think everyone still refers to it as “St. Patrick’s” or “St. Patty’s” Day. Hard to overlook that. I suspect that in a land of Evangelicals this simply means “Catholic,” and everyone knows real Christianity has nothing to do with Cath’lics. I don’t blame the average person for this atrocious silliness, but someone’s responsible. It must be the leadership and “teachers” of that subculture. Shame on them.
Secondly, it’s an especially significant indicator of how far the American church has secularized because few people played as significant a role in the existence of the European (and therefore, American) church as did St. Patrick. For spiritual descendants of the British church, St. Columba and St. Aidan might rival him, and for the Germanic peoples of Northern Europe, St. Boniface played a lynchpin role, but without Patrick and his sacrificial life, there may not have been a gospel for Columba, Aidan and Boniface to have heard. So no, there is no real rival to St. Patrick’s influence nor to the debt we owe to him. In important ways he is to European Christianity and civilization as Our Lady is to all of the church. It could have stopped with him and her.
But… and I’m beginning to see…amongst a people who think it a virtue to ignore the painful sacrifice of the woman who gave Christ the body and blood that worked peace between God and man, there should be little expectation that the man responsible for the way of life we enjoy and that same body and blood being weekly “offered for you," would be honored. Shame on those who form us so.
Without Patrick’s life- as he chose to live it- the church, Western Civilization and the world would be unrecognizable today, and….we treat it as if it’s about green clothes and clover. Surely, that’s a pretty good indicator.
Don’t misunderstand.
In our home we will wear green, sport shamrock, drink lots of beer, build Leprechaun traps, check them in the morning, and watch Finian’s Rainbow before we go to bed. Today’s a day to be kept through those things- not because of them. We will also retell the story of Patrick and sing his Breastplate together. We do all of these things because it's our brother St Patrick’s special day.
The problem’s not in colors or four-leafed flora. The problem is thanklessness. We need to be grateful- to our brother Patricus and the gracious God who gave him to us. The church says “Amen” to that, and so has given us this day to keep.
That’s what all the Guinness is about.
4 comments:
AMEN,IN THIER DESIRE TO PROTECT THE BODY THEY INSTEAD ROBBED US OF THE BLESSING AND THE CELEBRATION OF A WONDERFUL DAY TO UNDERSTAND A GREAT ROLE MODEL
Hmmmm.... I liked this post Phil, but perhaps it smacked a bit too much of grumpiness for me. I do not feel robbed of good Saint patricus and his message..in fact, as backwards as we pentecostals are, I have to say that I grew up with a keen understanding of his life and mission. Perhaps that is because I also came from a violently (and sometimes violent?) Chicago Irish family. The Guinness, the Green, the Shamrocks, the tales...all of it have I enjoyed since I was a child (not the Guinness) and I'm a better person for it really. In some ways, this festivalization of Patricks day has made him the most accesible Saint ever known.
Yeah, Rev...That’s fair. It was too grumpy. In fact I thought of revising it after the initial post. My thought wasn’t that it was too grumpy (‘cause you know I can be grumpy), but that it was a bit too judgmental.
That’s the ugly part of the Reformed Tradition in me, I’m afraid. I never see a shortcoming without seeing a great deal of guilt, nor a disagreement that isn’t worth going to war over. It needs to be repented of.
I do realize that every great brother or sister who has gone to wait in the Lord cannot be celebrated. Our family doesn’t make it through the feast days of the twelve God formed his new Israel around. It’s not my job to tell people who ought to make the list. But…
I am still grumpy about it, though. I’m glad that you weren’t shortchanged, but my grievance is that we, as the people of God, are.
I envy the Irish ties of your family (but as a Welshman way back there, not much :) and I certainly affirm the day as a day of thanksgiving for the role God gave the Irish in saving civilization. But Patrick belongs to King Jesus before any monarch of Tara. (I realize you agree) I suspect that the religious tradition you were formed in (like that which formed me) had little to share with you about this great brother.
It is sad that we learned of him because of his Irish ties and not because of his Christian ones. Perhaps Pentecostals celebrate his feast day, but I know the Baptist and Presbyterian traditions do not. I learned nothing of him in the house of God. What I learned came from thoroughly secular institutions.
That’s not right; it’s almost inexplicable.
I suspect that there are lamentable reasons for this, and that they are indicative of a systemic and radical compromising with the spirit of this age- all done in the name of principle. That last bit is what pisses me off.
But, there I go again…
Yes...I'm on here at work. No sense in denying it. but knowing that you commented on my comment made checking it out irresistible.
I do think that I was misleading in part (though not on purpose) that Pentecostals celebrate the feast day. My FAMILY celebrated and my FATHER taught me about Saint Pat and his good deeds...not as an Irishman, but as a follower of The Way.
We really DID save civilization though....
And I think we can all agree on one thing...No sweeter song has been sung than that of the Breastplate. I melt every time I say it...for it is a truth that is undeniable and I cannot help but crumble before the truth.
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