17 March 2020 — St Patrick’s Day — From Slavery to Sainthood: from Ignominy to Honour

St Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. St Patrick’s Day is also known as the Feast of St Patrick and marks the date of the Irish Patron’s death. St Patrick’s Day marks the role he played in bringing Christianity to Ireland. And the day is often commemorated by people wearing green and sporting shamrocks.

St Patrick himself was a 5th century Christian missionary and priest who is believe to have been born in Roman Britain before being kidnapped and sold into slavery in Gaelic Ireland.

One message which can be taken from the life of St Patrick is that change is always possible. No, I don’t know anyone who has gone from SLAVERY to SAINTHOOD but I do know someone who has gone from years of being homeless and begging on the streets to holding down a job.

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL and we must never give up hope. Nor must we ever forget how much our mental state and thoughts contribute to our present life situation. The person I have in mind finds it very difficult to trust their good fortune and TO LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THINGS and still comes across as negative as this person seems to prefer to look on the dark side of life and concentrate on the ‘NEGATIVE’ rather than on the ‘POSITIVE’.

AND, THIS LEADS US BACK TO THE QUESTION OF HOW WE SPEND OUR ENERGY — PHYSICAL, SPIRITUAL, MENTAL and EMOTIONAL — DO WE LIVE IN HOPE OR DIE IN DESPAIR?