Like many Christian holidays, the meaning of St. Patrick's Day has been hijacked by our secular culture and turned into a day to wear green, pinch those who don't and drink green beer. Now I don't have a problem with any of these practices, if done in moderation (e.g. you don't want to be overly pinching people). But they have distracted us from the significance of the person to whom this day is set aside. In fact, St. Patrick lived quite a life that's worth celebrating.
St. Patrick (well, actually long before he was a saint) was born in England in 384 AD to a nominal Christian family. But he was abducted by pirates as a child and taken to the pagan country of Ireland as a slave. During his six-year captivity he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and his relationship with God grew. He was able to eventually escape and return to England. But that's not where the story of St. Patrick ends...not by a long shot.
In 431 AD (30-40 years later) he has a dream in which the Irish people beg him to return and to share the Good News of Jesus with them. So even though he was not well educated, he returned to the country of his enslavement and spent the rest of his life (until his death in 461 AD) spreading the gospel throughout.
The gospel's penetration into Ireland is almost exclusively due to God's use of St. Patrick's enslavement and faithful return. That my friends is why he deserves his own day!
By God's Grace, Jeff
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