Happy St. Patrick's Day

To all of you in Ireland and to those who love the Irish or like myself who have the blood of Irish ancestors in their veins, I wish you and pray for the intercession of your patron and the patron of my Archdiocese here in NY. May he rekindle the Faith he first brought to your island - the faith that truly spread around the world. I love this story of St. Patrick and in his honor share with you on the Eve of his Feast Day:

It was on 26 March, Easter Sunday, in 433, that the eventful assembly was to meet at Tara, and the decree went forth that from the preceeding day the fires throughout the kingdom should be extinguished until the signal blaze was kindled at the royal mansion. The chiefs and Brehons came in full numbers and the druidstoo would muster all their strength to bid defiance to the herald of good tidingsand to secure the hold of their superstition on the Celtic race, for their demoniacoracles had announced that the messenger of Christ had come to Erin. St. Patrick arrived at the hill of Slane, at the opposite extremity of the valley from Tara, onEaster Eve, in that year the feast of the Annunciation, and on the summit of the hill kindled the Paschal fire. The druids at once raised their voice. "O King", (they said) "live for ever; this fire, which has been lighted in defiance of the royal edict, will blaze for ever in this land unless it be this very night extinguished." By order of the king and the agency of the druids, repeated attempts were made to extinguish the blessed fire and to punish with death the intruder who had disobeyed the royal command. But the fire was not extinguished and Patrick shielded by the Divine power came unscathed from their snares and assaults. OnEaster Day the missionary band having at their head the youth Benignus bearing aloft a copy of the Gospels, and followed by St. Patrick who with mitre and crozierwas arrayed in full episcopal attire, proceeded in processional order to Tara. Thedruids and magicians put forth all their strength and employed all their incantations to maintain their sway over the Irish race, but the prayer and faith of Patrick achieved a glorious triumph. The druids by their incantations overspread the hill and surrounding plain with a cloud of worse than Egyptian darkness. Patrick defied them to remove that cloud, and when all their efforts were made in vain, at his prayer the sun sent forth its rays and the brightest sunshine lit up the scene. Again by demoniac power the Arch-Druid Lochru, like Simon Magus of old, was lifted up high in the air, but when Patrick knelt in prayer the druid from his flight was dashed to pieces upon a rock.

Thus was the final blow given to paganism in the presence of all the assembled chieftains. It was, indeed, a momentous day for the Irish race. Twice Patrick pleaded for the Faith before Leoghaire. The king had given orders that no sign of respect was to be extended to the strangers, but at the first meeting the youthful Erc, a royal page, arose to show him reverence; and at the second, when all the chieftains were assembled, the chief-bard Dubhtach showed the same honour to the saint. Both these heroic men became fervent disciples of the Faith and bright ornaments of the Irish Church. It was on this second solemn occasion that St. Patrick is said to have plucked a shamrock from the sward, to explain by its triple leaf and single stem, in some rough way, to the assembled chieftains, the greatdoctrine of the Blessed Trinity. On that bright Easter Day, the triumph of religionat Tara was complete. The Ard-Righ granted permission to Patrick to preach theFaith throughout the length and breadth of Erin, and the druidical prophecy like the words of Balaam of old would be fulfilled: the sacred fire now kindled by thesaint would never be extinguished.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm

 

Mosaic depicting this event in Mullingar Cathedral

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Patrick_by_Boris_Anrep.jpg

 

Thanks, I never read that. Here is part of the prayer St Patrick's breastplate. We all learn this in School in Ireland. Hopefully the kids still do.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.


from here:
http://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/st-patricks-breastplate.html

 

Stunningly beautiful prayer. Lá Fhéile Pádraig Shona Daoibh go léir

 

How beautiful is that! I expect they'll be singing that at Mass later they always do on St Patrick's Day.

Thankyou Miker, it would do your heart good to listen to that every morning.

I arise today . . . .

 

Amen!

 

I love the fact that at sixteen years old Padraig found Christ on Mount Slemish , minding pigs not far from my home.

I have climbed the mount many times on St Padraig's day and I don't think it would would be a comfortable lace to be camped out, year in year out.

But he was warmed by the new born Faith he rediscovered there. If he hadn't been kidnapped he would probably be like most of us Catholics just a religious name on a form.

I am touched by the fact that the very same Faith kicked him off the perch warms me too.

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/patrick/confession/confession.html

1. I, Patrick, a sinner, a most simple countryman, the least of all the faithful and most contemptible to many, had for father the deacon Calpurnius, son of the late Potitus, a priest, of the settlement [vicus] of Bannavem Taburniae; he had a small villa nearby where I was taken captive. I was at that time about sixteen years of age. I did not, indeed, know the true God; and I was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people, according to our deserts, for quite drawn away from God, we did not keep his precepts, nor were we obedient to our priests who used to remind us of our salvation. And the Lord brought down on us the fury of his being and scattered us among many nations, even to the ends of the earth, where I, in my smallness, am now to be found among foreigners.

2. And there the Lord opened my mind to an awareness of my unbelief, in order that, even so late, I might remember my transgressions and turn with all my heart to the Lord my God, who had regard for my insignificance and pitied my youth and ignorance. And he watched over me before I knew him, and before I learned sense or even distinguished between good and evil, and he protected me, and consoled me as a father would his son.

3. Therefore, indeed, I cannot keep silent, nor would it be proper, so many favours and graces has the Lord deigned to bestow on me in the land of my captivity. For after chastisement from God, and recognizing him, our way to repay him is to exalt him and confess his wonders before every nation under heaven.



Slemish Mountain, were St Padraig kept pigs as a slave.

 

May the fire of faith that burned in the heart if our Patron saint inspire us to pursue the path of holiness. Heavenly Father, raise up new saints in Ireland in these end times. Hail glorious St Patrick pray for this Emerald Isle which you conquered for and by Divine Love.