Today, I am wearing green – are you? New Orleans, while known for its French heritage and cajun food, is a very diverse city and St. Patty’s day is greatly celebrated. We have already had numerous parades and today in the part of the city known as the Irish Channel, there will be a party that goes on practically all day.
I do often wonder what our role as Christians is supposed to be on this day. I mean, as another blogger put it, it seems as if Guinness has bought the holiday. So what is our place. Saint Patrick himself had a great part to play in taking the Gospel to Ireland. He was apparently a great teacher as he used things like a three-leaf clover to teach about God. He gave up a lot to do these things. He did give us a great example to follow in chasing down the big plans of God and going to do what He has called us to do.
I don’t have anything against fun, but I am sure that St. Patrick would be saddened to know that a day that is named in his honor has been turned into a pinching, beer drinking holiday. How is it that we always seem able to take something that should point us to God and make it something completely the opposite.
Maybe we would do well to remember what Patrick prayed, ”Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me.”
