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From Archbishop Donoghue|
Saint Patrick's Day |
READINGS: #248 in the Lectionary Bishop Lessard, distinguished guests, my brothers and sisters, It is a great honor to be here in Savannah today, as we mark this year's observance of the feast of St. Patrick, the apostle and patron of all Ireland. Many of us, with pride and affection, trace our names back to the Old Country, and we are able to truly testify to the great staying-power of St. Patrick, who led our forbears out of the darkness of pagan practice, and into the living light of Christianity. But such is the strength of Ireland's faith, that whether or not the blood of the old country flows in one's veins, on this day, we are all drawn together by the merits of Christ's great champion, Patrick - on this day, we are all able to share together, the pride and the love of the Irish people for Patrick, one of the great teachers of the Gospel, and a true apostle of Jesus Christ. Hearing the story this morning of how Moses interceded on behalf of his people before the wrath of God brings to mind the same dedication and generosity of spirit which insured Patrick's mission to the people of Ireland. When just a boy, he was captured and sent into slavery among the then still pagan Irish. After some years, he escaped and was able to return to his home, but it was not his fate to retire into the domestic tranquility of family and friends. The desire to bring the faith to the very people who had enslaved him took a-hold of Patrick, and thenceforth his life was imbued with the tireless energy and zeal of the Holy Spirit. Patrick returned to Ireland around 430, when he was about forty years old, and for the remaining 30 years of his life, he was completely devoted to the conversion of the Irish people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to membership in the One, True, Catholic and Apostolic Church. In his autobiographical Confession, Patrick wrote: It was not any grace of mine, but of God, who conquers from within me; I came to Ireland to preach the Gospel and to bear insults from unbelievers; I surrender my freedom that others might profit. And if I should be found worthy, I am ready to give even my life for His name's sake, unfalteringly and very gladly, if only our Lord should grant it to me. The strength of St. Patrick's faith and the subsequent faith of the Irish people, not only in Ireland, but across the face of the world is the kind of answer to unbelief and skepticism that Jesus teaches us about in the Gospel today. In this passage, the Lord answers his critics and says: If you will not accept the truth of what I say because I say it, then look at the witness of those who believe in me, and be persuaded by their testimony. Look at the faith that Moses had in the compassion of God the Father, so that in the face of divine wrath, he did not hesitate to ask forgiveness. Look at the faith and virtue of John the Baptist, whose prophecies were filled with the Spirit of God, but who also possessed the humility to understand that the Chosen One was to follow, and that he was worthy only to stand alone in the desert, telling the people to turn from sin, and to be baptized. And by extension, certainly Our Lord is telling us in this passage from John, that the faith and witness of many great saints will accompany the unfolding of the Gospel throughout history, including the epic tale of Patrick's work in Ireland. Today, as we remember this man who seems larger than life, let us recall that the same gifts offered to Patrick are also offered to everyone of us. Paganism knocks at our very doors. The government increasingly condones and espouses things not acceptable to the Rule of our Catholic Faith. Politeness, diplomacy, and the art of manners are being replaced in our society by the crudest sort of language and by violent behavior. Those of us who religiously turn away from these enemies of human dignity feel sometimes that we are besieged - and perhaps we are. But this is the very time to remember that our witness to the Gospel and our fidelity to the teaching of the Church are the only weapons we need employ in this struggle. The life of St. Patrick teaches us this fundamental lesson, and we are blessed to be reminded of it by the liturgy we now celebrate in his memory, and by the panoply of festivities enjoyed today in this, the Colonial jewel of Georgia, the beautiful city of Savannah. As we continue our Mass, let us pray for all teachers of the Faith, and let us also pray for those who stand at the edge of conversion, but who are only waiting for a sign of grace in order to enter. If like St. Patrick, we are steadfast witnesses to the faith of our Church, and if we strengthen ourselves frequently by receiving the Body and Blood of Our Lord, then Jesus Christ will reward our faith, and we, His Church on earth, will know all the blessings of the Father in heaven. May these words of Saint Patrick remain with us as we pursue the course of our own epic struggle on behalf of the Gospel: It was not any grace of mine (that accomplished these things), but of God, who conquers from within me. + |