“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13 

St. Patrick is an incredible figure out of history, yet despite the prevalence of his name, few remember who the actual St. Patrick was. In our day, culture has turned a day of celebrating a great man into a farce. 

Born around 385 AD in modern day Britain, Patrick was kidnapped at the age of 16 and brought to Ireland by the pirates who enslaved him. He was trapped there for six years and managed to escape, sailing back to Britain only to be lost for a month, nearly starving along with the crew that had rescued him. 

After a miraculous series of events, Patrick was home and decided to study Christianity. Within a few years, Patrick, guided by a vision, decided to return to the land of his captivity and minister to them. While his work in Ireland was treacherous, some of his strongest opposition came from the Church he served. They lobbed accusations against him, trying to undermine the work he was doing. Yet Patrick remained faithful to the people he served even through the threat of death or excommunication. 

As we look at our own lives, there is much we can learn from Patrick. We are not always at peace with our neighbors, but are we still willing to do whatever we must to help them? When wronged by another, can we find forgiveness and even love instead of malice? If we want to live in community, valuing one another, are we making the first step? St. Patrick is truly an example for all of living for others out of love and selflessness. 

-Chaplain Paul Hart Cochran