The Bear Cave: The meaning of March 17

St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, is quickly approaching, and that means storefronts will be decorated with green clovers and pots of gold. But the holiday is a lot more than an excuse to wear green and don good luck charms; it commemorates the life of St. Patrick and the introduction of Christianity to Ireland. When Christians understand the importance of what may seem like just another commercialized holiday and know the saints’ stories, they can get to know the person of Christ.

Christ’s majesty shines through the stories of all the saints. In particular, St. Patrick’s story can show Christians how to rely on God and find joy in suffering. An article from Franciscan Media makes it clear that while not every detail about St. Patrick’s life is known, the story we can piece together is one of humility and courage.

In the late fourth century, Patrick was born in Roman Britain, the region of Great Britain that was occupied by Roman rule, according to Britannica. Franciscan Media states that when Patrick was 16, he and several of his father’s vassals and slaves were kidnapped by Irish pagans and sold into slavery in Ireland. He was forced to work as a shepherd, often in poor and freezing conditions.

During his period of slavery, Patrick learned the Celtic tongue and grew familiar with the pagan customs. However, he turned in faith to the Lord. In his epistle “Confessio,” Patrick writes, “After I arrived in Ireland, I tended sheep every day, and I prayed frequently during the day. … Faith grew, and my spirit was moved, so that in one day I would pray up to one hundred times, and at night perhaps the same.”

After six years of slavery in Ireland, when he was just 22, Patrick heard a voice saying that the ship meant to carry him home was ready. He escaped from his master and fled to a waiting ship 200 miles away, which is detailed in his “Confessio.” About his escape, he writes, “It was in the strength of God that I went — God who turned the direction of my life to good; I feared nothing while I was on the journey to that ship.”

The ship eventually landed on an unfamiliar coast, and Patrick and its sailors had to travel through the wilderness for weeks, according to his epistle. When he and the sailors ran out of food, God provided for them. Patrick writes, “The captain turned to me and said: ‘What about this, Christian? You tell us that your God is great and all-powerful — why can’t you pray for us, since we’re in a bad state with hunger?’ … Then I said to them with some confidence: ‘Turn in faith with all your hearts to the Lord my God, because nothing is impossible for him.’ … With the help of God, this is actually what happened! A herd of pigs appeared in the way before our eyes!”

Eventually, Patrick returned to Britain and reunited with his family, according to Franciscan Media. He pursued a life of ministry and priesthood. At the age of 43, he became a bishop. Among his other ministry work, Patrick made it his goal to witness to the Irish pagans —the very people who kidnapped and enslaved him when he was young.

However, it was Patrick’s previous enslavement that made him the perfect witness for the people of Ireland. An article from New Advent remarks that Patrick “acquired a perfect knowledge of the Celtic tongue in which he would one day announce the glad tidings of redemption.” Britannica said that scholars credit Patrick with bringing Christianity to Ireland, where he built churches, monasteries and schools.

St. Patrick’s story can inspire Christians to trust in God. When he was a slave, St. Patrick could not have imagined that not only would he one day be free, but that God would send him to convert his captors. Christians can trust that God is moving similarly in their life and that their suffering does not have to be in vain; it may be done for the glory of God.

We do not glorify God when the saints’ lives are reduced to commercialized holidays or dismissed as unimportant. When we honor the Christians who have come before us and lived valiantly, we honor the God who sent them.

Bear is the editor-in-chief for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X.