A blessed St Patrick's Day to all on the forum. May the strength of God pilot us, may the wisdom of God instruct us. May the hand of God protect us, may the word of God direct us. May thy Salvation, O Lord, be always ours this day and for evermore. Amen.
Slemish mountain in Co Antrim, believed to be the area where St Patrick was held captive as a slave in Ireland. You can actually see sheep in one of the fields just below the hill - it is believed that St Patrick was a shepherd in this area for about six years.
Thank you Bobby. May St Patrick pray for us all and especially beautiful Catholic Ireland. A blessed day to us all!
I attended St Patrick's Day Mass this morning, in Rush, North County Dublin. The church was pack. So beautifully decorated. They had youth folk group, senior choir. Nearly cried twice singing O Glorious St Patrick. A beautiful Mass. So much praise to God and connection with the people. The prayers were in Irish, Latin, Greek and English. The alter was gorgeously decorated with candles and shamrock. An absolute thing of beauty and respect. The priest got two balance perfectly between joy and holiness. Have to say I'm upliftedby the experience. Ireland so much needs prayer and as return to our Christian faith. Felt the Holy Spirit today. God Bless you all. And Happy St Patrick's Day to everyone.
That was a wonderful and prayful way to start this beautiful St. Patrick’s Day. Thank you for sharing. I wish all on the forum a holy and wonderful day. Peace
I assume he did a total fast from drink,food and sleep! its a bit obscure but jewish traditions specify Moses fasted from sleeping in his 40 days dry-fasting
May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. Happy St Patrick’s Day!
My favourite part of the life of Saint Padraig was when he was a slave on Slemish. He went right from being a tick box Catholic the being a young man of deep Contemplative prayer. He writes of , 'The Holy Spirit burning in my heart.' and of , 'Praying a hundred times a day and almost as many at night'. Signs of Contemplation. In my own life I turned to God in prison and my own conversion and suffering brought me to deeper prayer so I am right there alongside him in everything he writes. The word, 'Patrick', is derived from the Latin word, 'Patrician', the Roman Ruling Class. He bottomed out when he became a slave in a foreign land. Conversion springs from this hitting rock bottom. Unless you touch the bottom you'll never take wings and fly. All the Apostles touched bottom when they turned yellow and fled leaving the Lord to it. Peter touched bottom worse of all by denying the Lord three times. The lower you fall the higher you fly. St Padriag must have touched the bottom of all bottoms on Slemish. Dear God, thank you for all the hard times and thank you for the hardest times of all. You like a mother bird push us from the nest and force us to take wings and fly. Harsh kindness of a loving God. My favorite story regarding St Padraig is of a the High King who had his Feast on Tara. The Pagan Druids were at the High King to do away with St Padraig but at that moment a bird flew into the light of hall below the roof beams and out into the dark again while all watched. The High King turned to the Druids and said, 'Can you tell me where that bird came from when it flew into my hall?' The Druids shook their heads. 'Can you tell me then were the bird flew to when it left me Feast?' Again the Druids shook their heads in bewilderment. The High King spoke again, 'So it is with life and death. Where we come from no one has known and when we leave this life we go out into the dark again. But Padraig has these answers and has told me both were we come from and were we go when we die. So I am resolved to become a Christian!'
As with St Padraig, so with the Modern Irish. Until God kicks them on their asses out of their comfortable rich nests they will never learn to fly again. So kick them out of the nest is what He is rolling up His Big sleeves to do. ..and Bless Him for it. He couldn't kick them hard enough.
