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'Come and walk among us'
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Wednesday, March, 17, 2010
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by John Fischer
Li wrote yesterday, "Maybe you should expound on the faith of a child in relation to your theme tomorrow, St. Paddy's Day!" That got me wondering what the faith of a child had to do with Saint Patrick's Day, and I realized I knew little about Patrick except that he has usually been credited with bringing the gospel to Ireland. So I did a little research (with the emphasis on little) and this is what I came up with…
Patrick was born in Britain sometime in the late fourth to early fifth century. At the young age of sixteen, he was captured and taken to Ireland as a slave where it is said that he worked as a shepherd boy. He wrote that his faith grew while in captivity and that he was in prayer daily. After six years he was able to break free from his master and return home. But there he was visited with visions of Ireland and what he called "the Voice of the Irish." And what did the voice say? "We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us." (This must be where the faith of a child comes in.)
Notice the essence of the request: "walk among us." Not, "Come and evangelize us," or "Come and preach to us," but "Come and walk among us." God called him to do more than just evangelize. God called him to walk and talk and live his life with the people of Ireland. Proof that he did just that is a story that has been handed down about an ash wood walking stick he carried with him. As the story goes, he would thrust the stick in the ground wherever he was evangelizing, and in one particular place, later named Aspatria (or ash of Patrick), the stick had taken root by the time he was ready to move on!
So remember today that Saint Patrick came to walk among the Irish. And remember, too, that the Shamrock we will see so much of today was to Patrick, an illustration of the trinity—God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—the same, but separate.
And a special shout out to my good buddy, Patrick Cunningham in Cupertino. Wish we could get together today; I will be thinking of you. I will always remember the tragic circumstances that brought you to our door as proof that what may seem at the time to be the worse thing that could befall anyone can turn out to be the best. Thanks for walking among us, Patrick.
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