Happy St Patrick’s Day!!!

St. Patrick – His origins lay in the Carlisle district of north west Britain. When Patrick was 16 he was captured by a marauding band from Northern Ireland and spent six years herding sheep on Mount Slemis in Co.Antrim. He was often lonely and missed his family back home.

One night Patrick thought he heard a voice. It told him to go to the coast. There he would find a ship and the ship would take him home. Patrick knew it was the voice of God and set off. Eventually he got on the ship and rejoined his family.

But he often thought of the people of Ireland. Many were not Christian. He became a priest and spent the rest of his life evangelizing Ireland. He preached a simple but compelling trinitarian doctine of God’s love and the dwelling of the spirit in people’s hearts.

Today is his feast day and we ask his many blesings on us. Amen

Thought on Tuesday – March – 17/03/2015

‘God’s strength to direct me, God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak to me, God’s hand to guard me, God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect and save me.’ ~St.Patrick

It is simply amazing the extent and the amount of St Patrick’s Day celebrations taking place all over the world today. St.Patrick had great devotion to God and was always sensitive to God’s presence all around him. In today’s world where many people drift aimlessly in life, Patrick is a voice of hope. He took great confidence from God’s presence in his life.

In his own personal writings he explains how prayer helped him with his own struggles. He talks about how he overcame seemingly impossible difficulties through prayer. Today the feast of St.Patrick is a day to celebrate all that is good in our lives and all around us. It’s a day to acknowledge God’s gentle presence in our lives. It’s a day to pause for a moment in prayer and like Patrick not to be afraid to ask God for guidance, direction and an abundance of blessings.