Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I am wearing my green; are you?
Admittedly, I don’t know much about St. Patrick or why we wear green or what the deal with three-leaf clovers is. So I took a few minutes and looked up some stuff. Here are the main points.
Patrick (born with a different name) was born in England in the 4th century and lived his early life as an atheist. At the age of 16, he was captured and forced into slavery in Ireland for 6 years, during which time he became a Christian. After escaping from his captors and returning to England, he had a dream compelling him to go back to Ireland and preach the gospel. He then spent the rest of his long life converting hundreds of people to Christianity, establishing schools, and planting churches. He passed away on March 17, 465AD.
How does the shamrock fit in to St. Patrick’s Day, you ask? Well, Patrick was known for using everyday objects to teach spiritual lessons. One of his most iconic teaching tools was the three-leafed clover which he used to teach pagans how even though there is a Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the three are one. This was to combat the idea of polytheism (belief in many gods).
Later in history, Irish Christians would wear shamrocks on their clothing. However, history is unclear as to whether this was a display of their religion or worn as a good-luck charm (because you have the Holy Trinity with you).
Why wear green, you ask? I don’t know. Maybe it’s because of the shamrocks. But I really never figured that one out.
So today, when you see people sporting clothes with three-leafed clovers, or your kid brings home a shamrock cut out of green construction paper, take page from Patrick’s book and tell them about how God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are at work in your life.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matt 28:19)