The local paper had a story about St. Patrick yesterday. It talked about some of the myths that surrounded this great saint. One of the more interesting items in the story is that St. Patrick was either French or British. We know that he was brought to Ireland as a slave in 389 but we are not sure of his birthplace. Regardless of where he was originally from, St. Patrick embodied the Irish spirit and became one of the greatest instruments for God on that island. Patrick had a deep faith. He was in constant relationship with God and he wanted that for others as well. He knew of the blessings of God firsthand and made it his life's mission to bring everyone to that glory. Not only did Patrick have a deep faith, he embodied what St. James describes as faith and works. Patrick was always doing good works and showing the face of Christ to others. In spite of not knowing where he was from, he definitely knew where he was going. Patrick gives us a wonderful example of how to live our lives so that we can realize the ultimate prize, a life with God in Heaven. Although the secular world has adopted St. Patrick's Day as a beer-drinking, green wearing celebration, we Catholics need to remain committed to honoring St. Patrick on his feast day with the proper reverence. Since it is already an event that typically gathers people together, we need to take advantage of that experience and talk to our fellow revelers about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We need to remind our friends and relatives that St. Patrick carried out his mission of bringing people to Christ everyday. The beauty of the saints is that they provide us with tangible examples of how ordinary people can do extraordinary things if they are in union with God. St. Patrick's leadership, humility and faith set the benchmarks for all of us. As you celebrate the feast of St. Patrick in whatever way, take a minute to reflect on the great Catholic who was St. Patrick.
Kurt Hilgefort, is a Catholic father of six who publishes his thoughts on his blog Shadows of Augustine . He responded to my seven question survey with the following answers. Kurt is the first layperson to respond to the seven question survey and I think that his experience is extremely relevant to me personally and I hope that you are inspired by his thoughts as well. If you would like to respond, please send an email to fellmananthony@gmail.com with your thoughts and I will be happy to publish them as well. 1. What is the biggest challenge to your faith that you have faced so far? The biggest challenge for me has been the whole dying to self thing. On an intellectual level, there are no barriers. It comes down to a matter of accepting the authority of the Church that Christ founded upon Peter. My challenge is not in the intellect, but rather in the will. The challenge for me has always been to continually seek conversion. I want to be transformed, but I want it to be over all ...
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