Thought for the week: St Patrick's humility and self-effacing Christian qualities
Although many of the stories about Saint Patrick are legend, we have two remarkable documents which are considered to have been written by Patrick: A Letter to Coroticus, and his Confession.
Both are preserved in The Book of Armagh, a very famous treasure of the library of Trinity College, Dublin.
I have always been deeply moved by some words found in Patrick’s Confessio, or Confession: “My name is Patrick. I am a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers. I am looked down upon by many.”
Patrick’s words teach us never to view ourselves as better than anyone else. They help us to be humble. They reveal a man who was deeply aware of his limitations, but a person in whom the grace of God was powerfully active.
This is, paradoxically, a very powerful example of how the Lord habitually uses weak and fragile people to accomplish his will, to build up His Kingdom: "My grace is enough for you, my strength is made perfect in weakness", as St Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth.
Patrick himself recognised this; he was conscious of being "rustic, exiled, unlearned, of lacking the sophistication of others". But more than this, he was conscious of the power of God working within him.
We are all familiar with the stone-walled fields that partition the Irish countryside, and, consequently, we will appreciate the image that Patrick uses to describe this: "I was like a stone lying in deep mud; and he that is mighty came and in his mercy, lifted me up, and raised me aloft and put me on top of the wall. And therefore I ought to shout out aloud and return something to the Lord for the great mercy he has shown me now and for all ages."
Weak though he was, Patrick's success lay in his recognition of the Gospel's power to transform, transfigure and uplift, and this is as true for us in the 21st century as it was for him in the fifth.
Patrick’s inspiring example lives on, well over a millennium and a half later, and yet it is tempting to ask how far we have fallen from the high Christian standards which he displayed in his demanding and eventual life.
In contrast, St Patrick exhorted the people of Ireland to follow the Christian example of respect and tolerance for their neighbours, and happily it is this picture of our patron saint which is best remembered, and which is most appropriate for our time, based on his self-effacing qualities, and his humility.
Our focus is well directed to St Patrick’s humility, to his self-effacing qualities, and to his example of tolerance and respect, and the promotion of peace and understanding. Pray we may follow his example.