If You Want to Celebrate St Patrick This Year
I’ve heard many complaints this year about St Patrick’s Day. How dare the Catholic Church tell us not to celebrate it this year?! “Who cares what the Catholic Church says, St Patrick is important to us, and so I will celebrate his day by drinking lots of green beer.”
The fact of the matter is simple. His feastday is in Holy Week, and this means, as with other saints who have their feasts this week, the feast is set aside for the commemoration of Christ’s passion. Why is this an outrage? St Patrick was a Christian. He is a saint only because he was a follower of Christ. St Patrick would be the first to say that the point is not to celebrate himself but to celebrate the life, work and passion of Christ. If you really want to honor St Patrick this year, don’t use his feast day as an excuse to get drunk; if you want to honor St Patrick, get involved with Holy Week activities. It is what he would be doing.
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I don’t normally celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I suggest celebrating by finding a snake and chasing it around for a while.
Joan,
You mean like this?
As someone who can’t stand the equation of Catholicism and “national identity”, I prefer to honor this great saint through his prayers– some of the most beautfiful prayers ever written. The breastplate, according to the Wikipedia translation:
“I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.
I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.
I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.”
I really like St Patrick — not because of nationalism, but despite it. His mission was, in part, to integrate the Irish with Rome; too bad few have read his letters which indicate this unity. All his writings, if one reads them, are beautiful.
But what has really upset me is how many people — “Catholics” are outraged that Patrick is less important than Christ. It really does show the effects of nationalistic hermeneutics and how they misinterpret someone as universalistic as Patrick to their error.
I wonder how many Irish know that St. Patrick was British?
;-)
Well, I can’t understand why anybody is upset.
I’m planning on going to a party on Saturday to celebrate the life of St. Patrick. That Saturday will officially be the Solemnity of St. Joseph doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I’m sure that St. Patrick and St. Joseph are great friends.
Celebrating St. Patrick, in moderation, is an important element of the lay culture of American Catholicism. Honoring him in March every year helps to strengthen our communities. There is no sin in raising a glass to St. Patrick or in eating corned beef, even should somone do it Monday. Of Course the Passion of Our Lord is paramount, and the liturgical rules of the Church are important and are to be adhered to, and I do not beleive that any cleric on his own initiative should be celebrating the mass for St. Patrick on the 17th thi year, and I don’t think that anybody praying the office should be prayng the office of St. Patrick on the 17th instead of the office of Mondy of Holy Week. But that is not what people are really wanting to do is it? They want to have a parade and go to a party, eat some corned beef and drik a beer. None of these things are sinful. Prudence suggests that they should before Holy Week, but they are not sinful.
What I don’t understand are those insisting that the laity by their own traditions do nothing to commemorate St. Patrick this year. This is as silly as suggesting that a man not give his wife Flowers on Feb. 14, because St. Valintine is not on the calendar anymore. I would thing that Sts. Cyril and Methodius don’t have a problem with their frined St. Valentine and actual;y rejoice in the moderate celebration of Christian Marriage that happens in some places on Feb. 14.
The solution seems to be very simple. A parish in Ireland is moving the St. Patrick’s day celebrations to Saturday after Good Friday. Given that St. Patrick was a patient man, I’m sure he won’t mind. In fact, as others pointed out, he may be busy with Holy Week things amyways. But would this work in the Ueber-Patrick’s Day celebrations on this side of the Atlantic?
Sleinte.
MM: That prayer is also named: “The Cry of the Deer.” Traditionally, on St. Patyrick’s Day all present knelt outside the Cathedral/Church and recited it led by the Cardinal or the priest.
JA: Patrick was a Briton, a Celt. He was not a Saxon or an Englishman. He was a Roman citizen.
The old Irish believed that St. Patrick will gather them all on the last day and bring them to heaven.
Aside from the usual Lenten exercises, what exactly are the religious observances prescribed for Holy Monday, if it were not St. Patrick’s Day?
I’m in NYC. St. Patrick is the patron saint of this Archdiocese. St. Patrick’s Day always falls in Lent. It is customary in the Archdiocese to suspend fasting, etc. for the day. I understand the parade is to take place as usual on Holy Monday and the Cardinal will bless as it passes.
I (I will not judge anyone else’s heart) will postpone the customary bacchanalia until after Easter. Honestly, I haven’t done that in many years, can’t take the hangovers, anymore.
PS: In NYC on St. Patrick’s Day everyone is Irish. Here it possibly is the most catholic of saint’s days.
The Byzantine tradition has significant services for all of Holy Week; for Holy Monday, you can see what is described here (from the Melkite tradition, which is a Byzantine rite):
http://www.mliles.com/melkite/greatweekmonday.shtml
To understand more, such as the Bridegroom Service, read here: http://www.saintbarbara.org/faith/holyweek/holymondayeve.cfm
Holy Monday is when we also remember the “barren fig tree.”
“Patrick was born a Briton, a Celt.”
Exactly. Which makes him “British”.
If I had meant to claim that Patrick was a Saxon, I would have said English or Saxon or Anglo-Saxon. Or perhaps I would have said that he hailed from the Kingdom of Strathclyde. But I didn’t. I said he was “British”.
I’m fairly well aware of the history and biography of St. Patrick.
Not get drunk? On Paddy’s Day ???
Shirley, you jest!
In honor of St. Patrick (and my wife’s Irish heritage), we wear our green/clover Red Sox shirts. One could say he batted snakes, no? =D
GA,
only wear the Red Sox jersey if you want to offend St. Patrick, no worthy Saint would cheer for the Red Sox…phullease! ;-)
enjoy Lent
peace to all
Ahem,
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/rockies/2006-05-30-rockies-cover_x.htm
I think we know who St. Pat was supporting last fall.
Jay,
Wasn’t St. Patrick’s mom a Roman? Or am my confusing my stories here.
HenryK,
I can’t agree with you more. Shame on those that think they know better than the Bride of Christ.