Patrick (1)

My name is Patrick, and for sixty years
I have, with many labors, joys, and tears,
proclaimed the Name of Jesus in these parts—
although I know within my heart of hearts
I am a most uncultivated man,
the least of all the faithful in this land,
and looked upon with scorn by many. I
have sought, with all my strength, the Lord on high
to serve, not seeking status, wealth, or fame,
but just the celebration of the Name
of Him Who looked on me with mercy when
I was an ingrate, and the slave of men.

 - Patrick, Confession[1]

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

 - 1 Corinthians 1.26-29

Most people in this country have heard of Patrick—St. Patrick, as he is celebrated every March 17. Few, however, know very much about him. And what they do know is mainly by hearsay and probably inaccurate. Even fewer have ever thought to consult Patrick’s own account of his ministry, to discover what he considered important for us to know.

Two documents from Patrick’s own hand have survived over the many centuries since he penned them, late in the 5^th century. His Letter Against the Soldiers of Coroticus is a writ of excommunication and a call to repentance addressed to a band of putative Christian soldiers who had brutally attacked a group of fellow believers. Patrick’s Confession, penned toward the end of his life, is a defense of his ministry against those who, out of jealousy, were seeking to bring an end to his work in Ireland.

In our study of Patrick’s role in the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800 AD), we’ll use both documents to learn how the great saint and evangelist viewed his life and ministry.

Patrick introduced himself as “uncultivated.” After all, he hadn’t finished even basic schooling in his native Britain. Events intervened to find him carried away to Ireland where, for six lonely years, he lamented his half-hearted faith in Jesus and kept the flocks of his master.

Patrick ministered among the Irish for nearly sixty years. He was not the first Christian to serve the Lord in Ireland. Several before him had established beachheads here and there. Among these, Ailbe of Emly succeeded in reaching many for the Lord.[2] He began a monastery in the southeast of Ireland, and ancient records indicate some interaction between him and Patrick.

By the time Patrick wrote his Confession, religious leaders in Britain were trying to remove him from the field, seeking to recall him on some spurious claim of wrongdoing. He will address the situation in subsequent sections of his Confession. Suffice it say here that one of the reasons prompting his Confession was to tell the bishops in Britain that he did not recognize their authority—they had tried to prevent him from going to Ireland and did not support his mission—and he was simply too busy to come to Britain to give an account of himself. He hoped his Confession would suffice.

Patrick did not regard himself as subject to the Catholic bishops of Britain or to any other ecclesiastical authorities. God had called him to Ireland and blessed his humble and faithful obedience with a great harvest of souls. A colleague, Sechnaill, in the first hymn written in Ireland, Audite Omness Amantes, referred to Patrick as a “pope”, which may have been a deliberate attempt to establish the independence from Rome of Patrick and his ministry.

In two verbs Patrick summarized his ministry: “proclaimed” and “celebrated.” In both cases the object was Jesus. Patrick did much else besides—founding churches, ordaining shepherds over the flocks, teaching literacy, caring for the poor, freeing captives and slaves, and more—but he saw all his work as falling under these two headings. He was entirely focused on Jesus, to make Him known and bring Him honor. This is what is most important about Patrick, for in this focus, and the ways he expressed it in his writings, Patrick laid the foundation of what would become a great awakening to faith that lasted nearly 400 years.

Patrick gladly identified as neither noble nor wise, but weak and base and a mere nothing. But he will show us how, in the hands of Jesus, such a one as this can do a powerful work for the glory of the Lord.

For Reflection
1. What do you know about Patrick? Where did you learn this? What do you hope to gain from this study of his life and work?

2. How would you describe the state of “proclaiming” and “celebrating” Jesus in your own walk with and work for the Lord?

Psalm 71.7-11 (Solid Rock: My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less)
While many see in me a sign, I shelter in Your strength will find.
LORD, fill my mouth with endless praise and with Your glory all my days.
Refrain
A Rock of habitation be; command Your Word to rescue me;
my Rock and Fortress ever be!

Lord, cast me not with age away; as strength decreases, with me stay.
My enemies against me speak; they lie in wait my soul to seek.
Refrain

Lord, open my heart to learn from Patrick, so that, like him, I may…

Patrick’s Legacy
You can read more about the impact of Patrick’s ministry in our book, The Legacy of Patrick. Here you’ll learn how Patrick’s work has affected generations of Christians down to our own day. Order your copy by clicking here.

Support for Crosfigell comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise.

And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 103 Reynolds Lane, West Grove, PA 19390.

All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[1] All quotations are from T. M. Moore, Celtic Flame: The Burden of Patrick (Waxed Tablet Publications, forthcoming).

[2] Learn more about Ailbe of Emly and other early Irish Christian leaders in our free PDF book, Lives of Irish Saints (click here).