Saint Patrick and the Light of Christ

One of my favorite stories about St. Patrick involves the lighting of a Paschal fire on the night where fires were outlawed in Ireland due to an upcoming pagan celebration. It is such an act of confident defiance of the present age and hope in the one to whom the light testifies. You must remember that Christian mission in Ireland had failed miserably prior to Patrick, and Patrick’s life and ministry were marked by challenge and hardship. He had been taken captive numerous times, his life threatened others. Yet there he was lighting the Paschal fire because Easter was the next day, and the light of the world would not be overcome by darkness. It’s fascinating that Ireland’s patron saint was not Irish. In fact, he was a Brit who was kidnapped at a young age, who later escaped, and then was called by the Almighty to return to the very people who had enslaved him. There was an uproar over the fire. Lochru, the chief of the Druids led incantations to try to put it out, but in the end (and after some interesting tales which may or may not be accurate) it was the light of the Paschal bonfire which burned bright, not the sacred fire of the Druid festival. And this, in essence, is what happened in Ireland; the light of Christ burned bright in a man named Patrick, and against all odds and even through the darkness, it was that light which remained. It is St. Patrick of Ireland whom we remember today as we praise God for his work through Patrick.

Here is a link to a post from 2 years ago, in it is a famous prayer of St. Patrick, “The Breastplate of St. Patrick.”

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