March 17th, 2008 by Cassandra Clifford
On this day around the world people drink, dance and celebrate the Irish, their culture and spirit. While the holiday has lost much of its meaning and the non-Irish join in the festivities often far more than do many Irish at times. I want to remind you that the day for the Irish is a feast day, a holy day, to honor their patron saint, Saint Patrick.
Saint Patrick, or Naomh Padraig in Irish, was born in Scotland, and as a mear teenager when he was kidnapped from Wales by Irish brigands, raiders, and was then sold as a slave. Enslaved as a farm labor for some six years he eventually escaped and returned home, where he studied to be a priest. Saint Patrick returned some years later to the island where he was once held as a slave to be a missionary, bringing Christianity to the mostly Pagan island, sometime in the 5th century.
Why do I tell you this story? Saint Patrick was a slave and he was able to not only overcome, but to turn his struggle into empowerment. Our world is full of slaves, many have escaped and they forget not those who have not been so fortunate and now dedicate their lives to helping others to freedom. So celebrate today, and tomorrow remember those children who have not found freedom. Fear often increases ones faith, maybe that is something we have lost a lot of in our modern world, regardless of our religion it seems that we all to often forget that our world is not our own but shared and many of the worlds children have only faith to carry them through.
