Homily for the Memorial of St. Patrick

Today we celebrate the Memorial of St. Patrick, who, as a teenager, was taken far from home as a slave and made to herd animals on a cold mountain in Antrim, Ireland. Even though his father was a deacon and his grandfather a priest, St. Patrick hadn’t cared much about religion growing up in a comfortable home in Roman Britain. But after Irish slave traders turned his life upside down, he experienced a deeper meaning in his heart. Something about Ireland’s land and scenery awakened a spiritual side in him. Nature became a sign of God’s presence. Whether it was the mountains, the beautiful coastline, or the changing seasons, St. Patrick came to treasure the land’s beauty and realized God was close.

 

One day, after his escape from Ireland at the age of 22, Patrick felt called—like the Apostles—to follow Jesus and share his faith with others. He became a “fisher of people” among the Irish. In his writing, Confessions, St. Patrick says he did this very successfully, even though he saw himself as a sinner and not well educated, like a stone stuck in the mud. But God raised him up and gave him an important role.  St. For Patrick, that meant going back to Ireland, where he’d once been a slave, to bring its people the freedom of God’s children.

 

Patrick’s Confessions show how much he admired St. Paul. Like St.Paul, St. Patrick cared deeply for the people he served. He refused to accept gifts from his converts, just as Paul didn’t want to profit from preaching. Patrick loved the Irish so much that he promised to stay with them for life. He followed Paul’s example of self-giving.

 

We are called to this same self-giving, as we, like St. Paul, St. Patrick, and so many others, answer the call to share God’s love with all those we meet.