Subj : March 17th - St. Patrick To : All From : rich Date : Fri Mar 16 2018 10:09:34 From: rich March 17th - St. Patrick (5TH CENTURY) =E2=80=9CSimilar to the Irish people, St. Patrick moved from slavery to slavery. Looking at the life of today's celebrated saint, we see th= ree modes of slavery which are emblematic of the people he helped save. St. Patrick and his flock have been slaves to humans, sin, and Christ. The life of Patrick shows us the healing and freeing power of grace which removed the yoke of man and sin and replaced them with the sweet yoke of Christ. The opening words of St. Patrick's most famous work, Confessio, rea= d: =E2=80=9CI, Patrick, a sinner, very rustic, and the least of all the faithf= ul, and very contemptible in the estimation of most men, had as father a certain man called Calpornius=E2=80=A6who was in the town Bannaventa Berniae=E2=80=A6where I conceded capture.=E2=80=9D St. Patrick was the son of a deacon and grandson of a priest=E2=80=94priest= ly celibacy wasn't unanimous in the 4th century. Despite his family=E2= =80=99s religion, Patrick accused himself of ignorance of God and of committing some grave sin which he never named. He blamed himself for his eventual capture and enslavement as he was shipped off to Ireland. As a slave, Patrick became a figure of solidarity for the Irish people, because the Irish have often suffered human oppression. During the 17th and 18th centuries, many Irish entered into indentured servitude in order to find passage to America. One should not equate or conflate this type of slavery with the chattel slavery coming from Africa; St. Patrick escaped the latter. In lieu of their status as indentured servants, many Irish (among other poor Europeans) labored under the yoke of another human. Similarly, Irish immigrants during the Industrial Revolution met inhospitable conditions in their apartments and factories. While laboring under harsh demands, many Irish prayed to St. Patrick=E2=80=94a man who spent six years in slavery. Patrick learned to pray to the Father in secret while he endured injustice. The Father gradually freed him from his sin and ignorance while he endured =E2=80=9Chunger and nakedness daily.=E2=80=9D Those six ye= ars of slavery helped him mature from his rambunctious youth. Patrick grew in love and fear of the Lord while learning Christian humility: =E2=80=9CWhoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.=E2=80=9D (Mt 20:26=E2=80=9327) After learning humility in the midst of oppression, St. Patrick confessed the mercy God showed him: =E2=80=9CThe Lord turned His gaze round on my lowliness and took pity on my adolescence and ignorance and kept watch over me before I knew Him=E2=80=A6= He fortified me and consoled me as a father consoles a son.=E2=80=9D Eventually, the Lord visited Patrick in a mystical way and guided him out of captivity and Ireland. Patrick's emancipation from slavery a= nd sin encapsulates St. Paul's words, =E2=80=9CSo through God you are = no longer a slave but a son=E2=80=9D (Gal 4:7). He rejoiced in the =E2=80=9Cglorious li= berty of the children of God=E2=80=9D (Rom 8:21). The saint praised the Lord for his liberation from man, but he praised God more for the grace that freed him from ignorance and sin. St. Paul's words describe well Patrick= 's conversion: =E2=80=9CBut thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.=E2=80=9D (Rom 6:17=E2=80=9318) Patrick was freed from two forms of slavery in order to become a slave of righteousness. Yet, this slavery is different, because it is tied to sonship and friendship. =E2=80=9CNo longer do I call you servants=E2=80= =A6but I have called you friends=E2=80=9D (Jn 15:15). It is a paradox that one can b= e the son of God and a friend of Christ, and find freedom in obedience. Patrick's life testifies to that truth, as he obeyed the Lord=E2=80= =99s call and returned to the land of his captivity. Patrick records a locution of the Irish people calling to him, =E2=80=9CWe call you, holy boy, that you come and walk farther among us.=E2=80=9D Where= as before the Irish forced Patrick to the yoke of human slavery, here they beckon him to take on the yoke of Christ. The impassioned call helped create one of the greatest evangelizers in Church history and helped produce an emerald isle of the faith. Today, merrymaking and lamentation seem a fitting response to Ireland's patronal feast day. It's a day of Masses, prayers= , dancing, and, unfortunately, riotous drinking. The latter debauchery flies in the face of St. Patrick's sanctity; indeed, the green-clad souls pounding green Guinness manifest the pagan world the saint brazenly entered. St. Patrick, a man freed from a twofold slavery, took on the yoke of Christ to liberate such as these still captive to sin. We can even now learn from his words: =E2=80=9CI had come to Irish gentiles to proclaim the Gospel, and to endure indignities from unbelievers=E2=80=A6so that I might give up my freeborn status for the advantage of others=E2=80=A6for His name.=E2=80=9D Saint Quote: "Whatever will come my way, whether good or bad, I may accept it calmly, and always give thanks to God, who has ever shown me how I should believe in him unfailing without end." --St. Patrick of Ireland Bible Quote: Be wise as serpents, and guileless as doves. (Matthew 10:16) <><><><> The Shield of St. Patrick Attributed to St. Patrick Paraphrased by Cecil Frances Alexander I bind unto myself today the strong name of the trinity, by invocation of the same, the Three in One, the One in Three. I bind this day to me forever by power of faith Christ's incarnation, his baptism in the Jordan river, his death on the cross for my salvation; his bursting from the spiced tomb, his riding up the heavenly way, his coming at the day of doom I bind unto myself today. I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead, his eye to watch, his might to stay, his ear to harken to my need, the wisdom of my God to teach, his hand to guide, his shield to ward, the Word of God to give me speech, his heavenly host to be my guard. Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me; Christ to comfort and restore me; Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. I bind unto myself the name, the strong name of the Trinity, by invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three, of whom all nature hath creation, eternal Father, Spirit, Word; praise to the God of my salvation, salvation is of Christ the Lord! --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .