St. Patrick: Apostle to Ireland: A Liberated Slave Returns to Liberate

Today's Scripture Readings

1 Thessalonians 2:2b-12 (NRSV)

We had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers. As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Matthew 28:16-20 (NRSV)
 

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Blog Reflection

Whenever I see something with the word Irish in it, or hear a beautifully sung Irish folk song, my heart is warmed and my mind is filled with mystery.   I think of a place of majestic and graceful beauty.  A place where a Saint such as Patrick is remembered for his work there.

Patrick was born into a Christian family somewhere on the northwest coast of Britain in about 390.  His grandfather had been a Christian priest and his father, Colpornius, a deacon.  Calpornius was an important official in the late Roman imperial government of Britain.  It was not unusual in this post-Constantinian period for such state officials to be in holy orders.  When Patrick was about sixteen, he was captured by a band of Irish slave-raiders.  He was carried off to Ireland and forced to serve as a shepherd.  When he was about twenty-one, he escaped and returned to Britain, where he was educated as a Christian.  He tells us that he took holy orders as both presbyter and bishop, although no particular see is known as his at this time.  A vision then called him to return to Ireland.  This he did about the year 431. (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, p. 272).

Rev. Susan Russell wrote an outstanding blog on St. Patrick's Day, which you can read here.  But, the words I am copying and pasting below are too good to not include in my own blog reflection today.

On this particular St. Patrick's Day I believe asking gay and lesbian Episcopalians to hang in there and continue to take the vision of a Body of Christ that fully includes all the baptized BACK to the church that still questions their vocations and relationships is like unto asking Patrick to go evangelize the Irish who enslaved him.

And yet that's the vision we've been given – that's the call we have received.

Our witness of God's inclusive love is not just a witness to the presence of the holy in our lives and our relationships and our vocations -- but a witness to the power of God's love to transcend ANYTHING that holds us captive or enslaves us.

Many of us who are LGBT know how difficult it can be in our relationships with other Christians. Especially those who are so opposed to our being in the Church, receiving the Sacraments and so forth.  Yet, it is important to remember that Jesus never told his disciples to not try to go to the places where they would not be welcomed.  He told them to go and offer peace.  If they were not heard, then they should leave.  See Mark 6: 6b to 13.  

In Patrick's case, he had no choice as to where his captor's brought him.  Yet, after receiving Holy Orders, he returns to the land of his captivity, to spread the Good News of real freedom in Jesus Christ.

In the reading from Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, we see that he had courage to preach the Gospel in spite of great opposition.  The Gospel that he preached was not one of trickery or began with some kind of bad motive.  Some times when I think about how in just about every place we can think of, there is at least one loud mouth Christianist who has to interrupt the flow of anything going on, by being a really rude Bible beater.  They will inject Bible verses into a conversation, whether or not it is warranted, just to see if they can get someone to listen.  This kind of thing, is not the courage that preached the Gospel even with great opposition, that Paul writes of.  The idea of placing oneself in a position to be a complete pest to others, totally disregarding all Christian Charity, does not quite fit the bill. 

Over these past few weeks and months there have been a lot of conversations about the issue of religious freedom.  Religious freedom in America is endangered because States and other places, pass marriage equality laws for same-sex couples.  Religious freedom is injured by President Obama's policy on contraception with regard to religious institutions that find birth control to be against their principles.  These are things that Christianists say.   Such things are not means of liberating the people of America, by the way of the Gospel. They are means of attempting to place all Americans into what Christianity means according to one group of Christians.A Christianity where there is no diversity of opinions on issues such as marriage equality, a woman's right to choose and contraception.

As progressive Christians who are concerned about equality and justice for the oppressed and the afflicted, we preach the Gospel of inclusion.   The Gospel that Patrick brought to Ireland.  The Gospel of a loving and forgiving God, who through Jesus Christ offers to all of us salvation and hope.  A salvation that is not found in dogmas or creeds, but in truths that are founded in what it means to be the Body of Christ.  A truth that makes the Trinity more than just a composition of unreadable theological treatises, but becomes a living way of uniting the human community through love and compassion.  Receiving the Holy Eucharist means that the Body and Blood of Christ is real to us, because of how we recognize our union with all Christians, even those we do not agree with.

As we seek to honor the ministry and life of St. Patrick, let us ask ourselves to what we are being made captive to?   How is God calling us to share the Gospel in the capacity that we are in?  How do we become liberators to those people and places that captivate us?

This Lent, may we remember that it is the Cross and Resurrection that are our hope, even in what appears to be a hopeless situation.


Prayers

Almighty God, in your providence you chose your servant Patrick to be the apostle of the Irish people, to bring those who were wandering in darkness and error to the true light and knowledge of you: Grant us so to walk in that light that we may come at last to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, p. 273).

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have
made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and
make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily
lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission
and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p. 217).

Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this
land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as
their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to
eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those
who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law
and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of
us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Oppressed, Book of Common Prayer, p. 826).       

St. Patrick: The Saint of the Gospel Light of Inclusion, Not the Darkness of Discrimination

Scriptural Basis

Matthew 28:16-20
 
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."





Blog Reflection

While many people are celebrating St. Patrick's Day eating their corned beef and cabbage, drinking beer and marching, there are others who do not share this day with such enjoyment.   LGBT people are still not allowed to march in the largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the country. New York City. 

Rev. Irene Monroe wrote the blog piece "Like Black Church: St. Patrick's Day Parades Are Anti-Gay."

Irish and African-American lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities share a lot in common when it comes to being excluded from iconic institutions in their communities.

For LGBTQ African-Americans, it's the black church, and for LGBTQ Irish, it's the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

 St. Patrick's Day has rolled around again, and like previous March 17th celebrations nationwide, its LGBTQ communities are not invited. As a contentious and protracted argument for now over two decades, parade officials have a difficult time grasping the notion that being Irish and gay is also part of their heritage.

Unlike the black church, however, that has and continues to throw the Bible at its LGBTQ community to justify their exclusionary practices, the St. Patrick's Day parade committee uses the First Amendment, debating that they are constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of religion, speech and association, and the tenet separating church and state.

Among the matters that I find very interesting is that each culture that experiences some kind of discrimination upon coming to America, winds up discriminating against another in succession.   The English Anglo-Saxons who stole and destroyed the values and property of the Native Americans, also for many years oppressed the Irish immigrants in places like Boston, Massachusetts and New York City.   When the English Anglo-Saxons were confronted about why they were oppressing the Irish Catholic immigrants they responded with: "They have come to take our communities, jobs, homes and values and leave no room for us." 

Then many years later after many of the Irish people gained quite a bit of their freedoms, what did many of those same people complain about when the Hispanics, African Americans, Asians, South Americans, and other groups came to America?  "They have come to take our communities, jobs, homes and values and leave no room for us."

Likewise what is the argument anti-LGBT people use to deny marriage equality rights?  "They are going to change the definition of marriage and therefore destroy marriage for heterosexuals."

Not to be out done, the LGBT community also has it's share of racial, class and body type minoritizing.   I really find it very ironic that we have to have LGBT Pride, and Black Pride in many locations as two separate events. That kind of thing shows that there is racism and white supremacy within the LGBT Communities.  There are many Caucasian LGBT people who have been known to sneer at the idea of an inter-racial relationship.   Between the bear community and other body types is the complaint about those who are feminine vs those who are butch. Recently Jason and I were at a bear event in which an individual told a drag queen that bears do not like the attitudes of drag queens. We have the stereotypical "twinks" (I really hate that word) vs the bears, chubs and so on.  I know, I call myself and Jason as two gay bears.  Physically okay, that is what we are in the gay community.  But, my personal preference is that we (yes, I am writing to my own hypocritical behaviors and attitudes too) LGBT people learn to see other LGBT people as individuals seeking justice, inclusion, equality and to be able to uphold our dignity.

LGBT people and LGBT people of faith have an interesting dynamic.  There are many who are LGBT who sneer at those members of the LGBT community who practice some kind of faith.   It is as if LGBT people of faith are accused of "sleeping with the enemy."  Yet, LGBT people of faith experience the same discrimination from conservative Christians.  If we aren't getting it from LGBT people who think we should not be involved with any church or religious tradition, we are getttin git from Christianists and arch-conservative Catholics because our sexual orientation and/or gender expression/identity means we are not the kind of Christian they think we should be.

The LGB members of our communities also need to work on our prejudices towards our transgender friends.  Such is the case with the story of what has happened at Equality Maryland.

To understand what this St. Patrick's Day might mean to LGBT people, people of faith and/or just people of good will, I think our Gospel has some important things to remind us of. 

Jesus did not tell his disciples: "Go out and baptized all nations, but not those queers, Irish, African Americans, Native Americans, Muslims etc...."  Jesus said: "Go out and baptize all nations in the Name of the One, Holy and Undivided Trinity."  

Now, I know Muslims and many do not share our common Christian Faith.  And my intention here is not to state the Christianity has some monopoly on the truth.  Because it doesn't.  And there is no justification of violence in either speech or action towards those who do not share the Christian Faith with us.  That also is wrong.

However, for those of us who are Christians, as well as people of good will religious minded or not, we can easily assert that the Christian religion is about justice, equality and inclusion and we would be correct on every level. 

Rev. Irene Monroe concludes the piece from The Bilerico Project with the following:

So I ask, what would St. Patrick do in this situation?

He would unquestionably welcome Irish LGBTQ, especially in a parade named after him.
St. Patrick was a man who used his experience of struggle to effect change.

As a 5th century English missionary to Ireland, St. Patrick was born in 387 and died on March 17, 461 AD. He was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders attacking his family's estate that transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity.

After six years as a prisoner, St. Patrick escaped, but returned to Ireland as a missionary to convert the Irish to Christianity. As a priest, he incorporated traditional Irish rituals rather than eradicating their native beliefs. St. Patrick used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish honored their gods with fire, and he superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what we now know as the Celtic cross.

While many parade officials may think they are honoring the St. Patrick's Day tradition by excluding its LGBTQ communities, but like the black church, they will only be dishonoring themselves.

And, truth be told, no one knows how to throw a party or put on a parade like the LGBTQ community.

Christians and people of all faiths and political and social positions need to work on ways of avoiding reasons to exclude each other, and find ways to welcome each other.   In all the struggles of our time, the one thing we learn over and over again, the more we exclude others, the likelihood of us excluding ourselves becomes ever more true.

On this St. Patrick's Day as we celebrate and remember, let us work towards ways of making our lives, communities, churches and such as inclusive as possible. 

Prayers

Almighty God, in your providence you chose your servant Patrick to be the apostle of the Irish people, to bring those who were wandering in darkness and error to the true light and knowledge of you: Grant us so to walk in that light that we may come at last to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for St. Patrick, Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 273).

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, page 815).

O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Unity of the Church, Book of Common Prayer, page 818).

May the strength of God pilot us.
May the power of God preserve us.
May the wisdom of God instruct us.
May the hand of God protect us.
May the way of God direct us.
May the shield of God defend us.
May the host of God guard us
Against the snares of the evil one
And the temptations of the world.
May Christ be with us
Christ above us
Christ in us
Christ before us.
May thy salvation, O Lord,
Be always ours
This day and for evermore.
Amen.

A prayer attributed to St. Patrick, quoted in Pocket Celtic Prayers compiled by Martin Wallace (London: Church House Publishing, 1999). (Speaking to the Soul, the Episcopal Cafe).