March 17th. Saint Patrick’s Day. A day known for celebrating Irish heritage, the color green, and a whole lot of drinking. But who is Saint Patrick?

Saint Patrick

Funny enough Saint Patrick wasn’t Irish. And his name was not Patrick. It was Maewyn Succat, but for familiarity, I’ll just call him Patrick. Patrick was born in modern-day Britain around the year 400 AD. He was the son of a Priest however he did not claim to be a Christian growing up. He was captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland. Then he was turned into a slave working for his Irish captures. However through this, the truths of the Gospel were made clear to him, and he gave his life to Christ in captivity. Then he escaped slavery and traveled back to Britain to rejoin his family.

Patrick then grew in his faith, but something didn’t sit right with him. It was his Irish oppressors. Not that he wanted revenge, but he wanted them to experience the same saving grace that was offered to him through Jesus’s death on the cross. So Patrick went back to Ireland and began to minister to the people there.

The Irish people hated him and often tried to persecute him. In a quote from Saint Patrick he says, “For daily I expect to be murdered or betrayed or reduced to slavery if the occasion arises. But I fear nothing, because of the promises of Heaven; for I have cast myself into the hands of Almighty God, who reigns everywhere.” Daily he faced death, but proclaiming the good news of Jesus was more important to Him than anything else. This quote reminds me of Philippians 3:8-10, where it says that suffering the loss of all things, is worth it and counted as rubbish for the sake of knowing Christ.

Some people speculate that over 1000 people came to know Christ through the work of Saint Patrick. A man marked by the great commission.

So Let’s Celebrate!

Let’s celebrate the work that Saint Patrick has done! It is an amazing story of God’s faithfulness through the craziest of circumstances. Let’s celebrate how God can use one broken life to impact countless other broken lives. And in all bring honor and glory to himself as the Creator.

Then let us move past appreciation of Saint Patrick’s life, and learn how to live our lives on the same mission. Jesus calls each and everyone of us to live our lives in the same way as Patrick’s. With a longing and desire for every one around us to know and understand the beauty of the Gospel.

So instead of wearing green, drinking beer, or dressing as a leprechaun, think of the life Saint Patrick lived for Christ. Then let that inspire you to live for the same mission.

By: Aaron Hershberger

If you want to read more about Saint Patrick’s Life, Check this link.