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 Dedicated to Uncle Milford Jamieson

 “And now that I am old and gray-headed,
O God,
do not forsake me,
till I make known your strength
to this generation and
your power to all who are to come.”  
Psalm 71.18

 

Greetings on this Festival Day of St. Patrick.             

Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland, has an interesting history.

The short history:

  • Patrick is kidnapped by the Irish who sold him into slavery.
  • Six years later he escaped, and returned to England, the place of his birth.
  • Eventually, he was ordained a priest.
  • At the same time, he always had a vision that he would one day return to Ireland.
  • Around 438AD, the vision came true when he was ordained a bishop, and
  • sent to Ireland to care for the mission to the Irish. 

 Patrick’s Mission quickly evolved into a very successful, and vibrant, institution.

With Patrick’s emphasis on monasticism and their success, soon after his death, the monastic community began to replace warriors as the heroes of the Irish people.

Although Patrick’s spirituality was considered 'somewhat penitential', at the same time, people could see a focus on the deeply-alive, and sustaining, presence of Jesus Christ.            

We live in a world, at this time and place, where the emphasis in society (as reflected in marketing-advertising) focuses on ‘reversing the physical signs of aging’. At the same time, a  recent post on Facebook was a question about ‘what hair products to use for children under the age of ten’.

As a balding and mature adult, my thoughts turned to, ‘I wonder if my parents had used a different hair product over 60 years ago, maybe I would not be experiencing balding?’

Then I looked at the generations before me and my generation, realizing most of the men experienced balding at an early age, and several of the women on my paternal side experiencing white-hair at a very early age!            

At the same time, I inherited a family who were engaged in leaving a legacy guided by the principles of the Ten Commandments. These principles were inclusive of caring for family and community.  

As we read in Psalm 71.18 —"to make known the principles of God in their generation and in the generations to come”. These principles guide me to this day, and challenge me to show grace in my life today— and that memory to come to the ones yet to come. 

Today, as we reflect on Patrick’s life, we can see these same principles.

Patrick’s adult life begins with a very devastating situation. He is captured by some tribes of Ireland; sold off to slavery in Ireland; escapes and returns to England; only to hear God calling him to vocation as Bishop; for which he is then requisitioned back to the mission field in Ireland.  

Patrick’s spirituality is often seen as deeply penitential, when at the same time, his ministry is concerned with the sustaining love and presence of Jesus Christ.            

In the opening lines of the Confession of Patrick we read:

“I give thanks without ceasing to my God, who kept me faithful in the time of my testing, so that today I have confidence to offer my soul as a living sacrifice to Christ my Lord, who saved me from all my troubles. And for this reason, I may say: ‘Who am I, Lord, or what is my calling, for you have been present to me with such divine grace, so that today I constantly exalt and magnify your name among the heathen in whatever place I have been – and not only in happiness, but also in hardships.”

(FAS, p.475)  

Patrick could have been influenced by Psalm 71.

We can all be influenced by Psalm 71:   ‘do not forsake me, till I make known your strength to this generation, and your power to all who are to come.’  

 

“May joy and peace surround you;
Contentment latch your door,
And happiness be with you now,
And bless you, ever more.”  

Blessing in Christ,
Archdeacon Brian+