Homily: Feast of St. Patrick

Feast of St. Patrick (Mk. 12:28-34) “Love Your Neighbor”

St. Patrick was born in Britain in 389. His grandfather was a priest, and his father was a deacon. He was captured by Irish pirates when he was in his mid-teens. He was sold into slavery and to an Irish owner. He herded livestock for six years. Considering his background, this was a particularly humiliating experience. While he was a slave, however, he learned a lot about the Irish language and customs.

At twenty-two he escaped slavery or was ransomed out of it. He made his way home making an arduous journey. He nearly starved to death on the way. He received some rudimentary training, studied some scripture and a little Latin and was ordained a priest. He regretted not having a lot of formal education throughout his life.

He was appointed the successor of the first bishop of Ireland who was a man named Palladius. His appointment was met with some skepticism because of his lack of education. But he had assets that others did not have. He had become familiar with the culture and politics of Ireland. This gave him knowledge that few outside Ireland had. Ireland had a very closed society. The Irish people were fiercely independent. Ireland was also divided into various kingdoms. Patrick was able to gain the trust of a powerful king who offered him protection.

We have to admire Patrick’s ability to forgive the Irish. We could imagine that he was reluctant to return to a place where he had endured so much suffering, but he felt a desire to help the Christian Church grow in Ireland. The spread of the Gospel trumped all other considerations for him. He put the words of Jesus into practice. He forgave his neighbor and loved them as he loved himself.

By modeling Christian life and virtue, he won many converts in Ireland. He was one of the great missionaries of the church. As a missionary he was able to take Celtic spirituality and show how many of its beliefs were similar to Christian teachings. He did this fearlessly and creatively. He was able to find the common ground rather than attack differences. This led to his great success as an evangelist.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Did I know St. Patrick was not Irish? How does this fact impact what I believe about him?

2.   Could I have gone back to Ireland to do ministry? What might have held me back?

   Dear Parishioners,

           Today is a Lenten Friday and St. Patrick’s Day. Bishop Tylka has released everyone in the diocese from the obligation to abstain from meat today. Therefore, you can eat that corned beef and cabbage and Irish stew. You are just asked to abstain from meat on another day or do an alternative penance.

          Remember that Bishop Tylka will be here Saturday for the 4 p.m. Mass. We will be blessing the new Gathering Center. Everyone is invited to attend. Come and pray and celebrate. It should be a great celebration.

          May St. Damian de Veuster continue to pray for us as we continue our building process.

          Fr. Mark