Thoughts on St. Patrick, the Bible and God

One of my favorite and more colorful characters of Christian lore is St. Patrick. Here is a guy who grew up in Romanized Britain, was kidnapped, enslaved in Ireland, escaped, and then joined a monastery to follow Christ. In a vision, he was called to go back to Ireland and teach the people about Christ, and so he did. He is the patron saint of Ireland. We celebrate his day every March 17. By the time you read this article, you will have already eaten corned beef, cabbage, and new potatoes (one of my favorite meals).

Trying to separate myth from fact in the life of the saints is a daunting task. In the case of St. Patrick, we do know that he was not the first missionary to Ireland. We also know that he did not preach on the whole island, but a portion. One of the things he was known for was trying to explain the Trinity by using a common weed called a shamrock. The snakes he chased from Ireland were not real snakes, but a metaphor of his efforts to end Druid worship and instill Christ in the hearts of the people (Ireland never had snakes on it).

Still, there are many a good story of miracles attributed to him and other saints. As time goes on, history becomes myth and myth becomes legend. Time has a way of obscuring facts and stories. Even written accounts become less dependable as time marches on.

Except in one case. The Bible for me is the living, breathing, written word of God. I personally have no problem believing in a six-day creation and one day of rest, nor do I have a problem with a large floating zoo. I believe David killed Goliath and God parted the sea to save his people. I believe Jesus was born of a virgin and later healed the sick, fed the poor, walked on water, commanded the elements and raised the dead. I believe he died on the cross, on the third day rose from the dead and lives with the Father in heaven.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that it is okay to believe in the fantastic and the extraordinary. We are a people with a supernatural faith. We follow the Creator God, not a semi-pro god. The extraordinary lives of those who follow Christ help us to understand our faith and ourselves.

The key to all the legends and stories of the saints is that they always point to Christ. Nothing Patrick did pointed to Patrick, it pointed to Christ. That is what makes a saint a saint.

Maybe we need to think about the saints that have been in our lives, and how we can honor them. Better yet, how about we figure out how to be saints. Keep in mind, living a life pointing to Christ is what the Saints do. Maybe that is a legacy we should be building.

Just a thought.

See you in church.

Rev. Kent Wilfong is the pastor at the United Methodist Church, Doniphan/Neelyville.