The Mythology of Saint Patrick - Essay Example

The Mythology of St. Patrick For most non-Catholics, St. Patrick's Day is a celebration that finds many people wearing their favorite green clothingso to not get pinched, as well as engaging in the consumption of the ever popular green beer and other items. Taking away all of the madness that comes with the day, St. Patrick's Day at the root holds symbolic meaning as a tribute to the Catholic Saint Patrick. Often times when holidays are created in observance of people who did special acts, it can become very easy for commercialism to take hold and as such, have the holiday turn into something that it was not intended to be in the first place. As to Patrick's earliest beginnings, the Catholic Encyclopedia writes that St. Patrick was an, "Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 493. [some sources say 460 or 461.-Ed.]," ("St. Patrick" p.1). In the study of historical figures, whether they are of the religious nature or not, it is most imperative to begin as far back in their lives as possible and moving forward from there. To question how and where Patrick was spiritually enlightened, the following section of the Catholic Encyclopedia best describes both parts. It says that, "In his sixteenth year, Patrick was carried off into captivity by Irish marauders and was sold as a slave to a chieftan named Milchu in Dalriada, a territory of the present county of Antrim in Ireland, where for six years he tended his master's flocks in the valley of the Braid and on the slopes of Slemish, near the modern town of Ballymena," Adding that, "He relates in his "Confessio" that during his captivity while tending the flocks he prayed many times in the day: "the love of God", he added, and His fear increased in me more and more, and the faith grew in me, and the spirit was roused, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers, and in the night nearly the same, so that whilst in the woods and on the mountain, even before the dawn, I was roused to prayer and felt no hurt from it, whether there was snow or ice or rain; nor was there any slothfulness in me, such as I see now, because the spirit was then fervent within me," ("St. Patrick" p.1). This quote taken out of his "Confessio" is very telling in nature. Known as a very spiritual man in later years leading to his declared sainthood and death, it is important to observe what lead him to that point and as the previous paragraph shows, it was something as horrible as slavery that lead him to find his spiritual center. Like many believers, St. Patrick found warmth and comfort of a magnitude that he may never have experienced before. As he says, the outside elements became non-existent to him and the power of prayer enveloped him in a protective shield and gave him the faith and courage, as well as the hope that surely was needed for him during such a horrific period of his life. "Admonished by an angel he after six years fled from his cruel master and bent his steps towards the west. He relates in his "Confessio" that he had to travel about 200 miles; and his journey was probably towards Killala Bay and onwards thence to Westport. He found a ship ready to set sail and after some rebuffs was allowed on board. In a few days he was among his friends once more in Britain, but now his heart was set on devoting himself to the service of God in the sacred ministry. We meet with him at St. Martin's monastery at Tours, and again at the island sanctuary of Lrins which was just then acquiring widespread renown for learning and piety; and wherever lessons of heroic perfection in the exercise of Christian life could be acquired, thither the fervent Patrick was sure to bend his steps. No sooner had St. Germain entered on his great mission at Auxerre than Patrick put himself under his guidance, and it was at that great bishop's hands that Ireland's future apostle was a few years later promoted to the priesthood. It is the tradition in the territory of the Morini that Patrick under St. Germain's guidance for some years was engaged in missionary work among them. When Germain commissioned by the Holy See proceeded to Britain to combat the erroneous teachings of Pelagius, he chose Patrick to be one of his missionary companions and thus it was his privilege to be associated with the representative of Rome in the triumphs that ensued over heresy and Paganism, and in the many remarkable events of the expedition, such as the miraculous calming of the tempest at sea, the visit to the relics at St. Alban's shrine, and the Alleluia victory. Amid all these scenes, however, Patrick's thoughts turned towards Ireland, and from time to time he was favoured with visions of the children from Focluth, by the Western sea, who cried to him: "O holy youth, come back to Erin, and walk once more amongst us." ("St. Patrick" p.1). With all of the horrific acts which St. Patrick would have to have witness during his captivity, it would have not been surprising if he had cracked under the pressure and gave up all hope of a better life. A testament of strength, St. Patrick continued his steadfast faith in the Holy Father, which undoubtedly guided him through whatever trials and tribulations would cross his path during the remainder of his days. Those who claim themselves to be spiritually enlightened can often times be accused of twisting that which they believe to their own individual interpretations, which in the end, may have very little if any basis in the intended meaning of the scripture as it was when it was first written. In addressing St. Patrick's spiritual practices and approaches, the History Channel in their 'Who Was St. Patrick' section, makes light of this when they say that, "Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now the Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. (Although there was a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a natural-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick's life became exaggerated over the centuries-spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life.)," ("Who" p.1). To have gained such acclaim that leads to a day for honoring your legacy, St. Patrick would undoubtedly have been a man of great accomplishment and great integrity. As he was given Sainthood and as such a member of the Catholic Church, it would be necessary to understand how the Catholic Church views the day which means to celebrate one of its own saints while highly regarded, is also very mysterious in nature. In answering this question, the online encyclopedia Wikipedia says that, in regards to observance of St. Patrick's Day that, "It became a feast day in the Roman Catholic Church due to the influence of the Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding[2] in the early part of the 17th century, and is a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. The date of the feast is occasionally, yet controversially, moved by church authorities when March 17 falls during Holy Week; this happened in 1940 when Saint Patrick's Day was observed on April 3 in order to avoid it coinciding with Palm Sunday, and happened again in 2008, having been observed on 15 March.[3] March 17 will not fall during Holy Week again until 2160," ("Day" p.1). "In the past, Saint Patrick's Day was celebrated only as a religious holiday. It became a public holiday in 1903, by the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act 1903, an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament introduced by the Irish MP James O'Mara.[12] O'Mara later introduced the law which required that pubs be closed on 17 March, a provision which was repealed only in the 1970s. The first St. Patrick's Day parade held in the Irish Free State was held in Dublin in 1931 and was reviewed by the then Minister of Defence Desmond Fitzgerald. Although secular celebrations now exist, the holiday remains a religious observance in Ireland, for both the Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic Church," ("Day" p.1). As in the introduction, current St. Patrick's Day celebrations have evolved into mostly a reason for most celebrants to consumer higher quantities of alcohol while enjoying the festivities. Some key facts to keep in mind about the holiday are who typically participates in the holiday and how the holiday itself is observed. Observed by: Celebrations: 1. Irish people 1. Attending Mass. 2. People of Irish ancestry 2. Parades 3. Roman Catholics 3. Wearing shamrocks 4. Anglicans 4. Wearing green 5. Eastern Orthodox 5. Drinking alcohol 6. English-speaking countries Many holidays which people throughout the world celebrate have been based at the core as a means of honoring someone or something. Whether it's Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus, Easter to celebrate his resurrection, 4th of July to celebrate the independence which Americans received back in 1776, or the case of Halloween which has its roots from the Mexican tradition of "Dia de los muertos" aka "day of the dead", holidays often times tend to be celebrated as a means of otherwise not practiced activity and an excuse for reckless endeavor. As is the case with those holidays, St. Patrick's Day it is in a lot of ways no different. As revelers gather on March 17th to celebrate with friends, to pinch anyone who's not wearing the all important green, or to enjoy that tasty green beverage, few take the time to consider what exactly St. Patrick's Day is based upon. For St. Patrick to have ascended to sainthood status, one would have to believe that he was a man of great spiritual awakening and one whose desire it was to enlighten the world on the majesty and wonder of the Holy Father. What is truly amazing about St. Patrick is that, despite the earlier sadness and fear in his life that surely came with his being held captive for six years; he rose above it and sought out God for direction. He refused to let his captor dictate how his feelings. He felt safe within the sense that, as he would sit and pray that God was in fact listening to him and that he found the strength to escape his fate by listening to God's silent but direct word which he heard inside the very deepest core of his body. Instead of seeking God's grace as a way to just escape his plight, he instead chose to use the experience to reach out to others and make a difference in their lives if he could. Despite the stereotype of Irish changing facts based on their tendency of "storytelling", St. Patrick instead wished to teach. References Catholic Encyclopedia New Advent. "St. Patrick". Accessed On: 28 March 2008. URL: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm Wikipedia: The Online Encyclopedia. "Saint Patrick's Day". Accessed On: 28 March 2008. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Patrick's_Day The History Channel Online. "St. Patrick's Day: Who Was St. Patrick" Accessed On: 28 March 2008. URL:http://www.history.com/minisite.do content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=859&display_order=1&mini_id=1082 : Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. (Although there were a small number of Christians on the When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick's life became exaggerated over the centuries-spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life.) Read More