God made whiskey, the joke goes, to keep the Irish from ruling the world.  Not a bad trade, that.  Although most historians believe that whiskey was developed by Irish monks in the twelfth century, there is a legend that Patrick used this aqua vitae, or “water of life” to teach a lesson in Christian virtue.  One time during his missionary travels an innkeeper gave him a glass of whiskey that was far from full.  Patrick told the man that a devil was living in his cellar, which was causing him to be stingy and dishonest, and that the only way the man could banish the devil was by filling each glass to its brim.  When Patrick returned to the inn later, he saw each cup was full and proclaimed the devil duly exorcised.  This story is honored on St. Patrick’s Day with the custom of Pota Phadraig, or “Patrick’s Pot,” drinking a full measure of whiskey.    – Michael Foley in Drinking with the Saints.
 
I’m looking forward to having a Pota Phadraig in honor of good St. Patrick as St. Michael’s Parish celebrates St. Patrick with a Night Out in the Grandview Room at Hotel Tybee on Tuesday night from 6pm to 8pm.  Join me and your fellow parishioners for a corned beef and cabbage dinner, and perhaps a wee bit of liquid refreshment.  There will be trivia of course (how much do you know about the patron Saint of Ireland?) and good fun.  Invite your friends and neighbors to join us.  They don’t even need to be Irish.  For that matter neither do you.
 
In years past, St. Patrick’s Day use to be a nice little break from the rigors of the Lenten Season.   But these days very few folks take Lent seriously as a time of spiritual renewal.  So, St. Patrick’s Day has pretty much become disconnected from its spiritual roots and is viewed by most people simply as an excuse to hold a parade and have a good party.  Very few people who view the parade have any sense of who St. Patrick is and the important role he played in the evangelization of Ireland and the world.   So, here is a head start on Tuesday’s trivia contest.
 
Born somewhere in Britain arguably in the late 4th century A.D., the man who would come to be known as St. Patrick was captured by pirates as a child and brought to Ireland where he was enslaved for six years as a herdsman.  Having escaped that cruelty, St. Patrick eventually returned to Ireland as a Bishop. On his second arrival he brought the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Irish people.  As Patrick relates in his CONFESSIONS, during his years of enslavement he grew in his devotion to God and a desire to share his love of Jesus with others.
 
St. Patrick the missionary went back to an Ireland full of paganism and idol worship. But just a few short decades after he arrived, a healthy Church was thriving. Faith in the Risen Christ became so strong in Ireland that for centuries missionaries would go out from there to evangelize much of Europe and eventually much of America. And we certainly have a sense of that in our own faith community with two of my predecessors, Msgr. Costigan, and Bishop Boland having come to us as missionaries from Ireland.  St. Patrick's legacy lives on through the countless spiritual ancestors he left to continue his work.  St. Patrick lived in a way that brought honor to God. His devotion and resolute obedience offer examples for all followers of Christ. Patrick stood in the face of great challenges and did not falter. His service, his life, and his unwavering commitment to spreading the gospel of Christ are as commendable today as they were in the fifth century.
 
Perhaps, one of the best ways we can honor St. Patrick’s legacy is to try to refocus on Lent after this week’s celebrations.  If you’ve not been very serious about this season of spiritual renewal, I’d suggest that you plan to attend the Lenten Penance Service on Monday night, March 19 ^th, or perhaps join us for the Stations of the Cross on Wednesdays.  I rejoice in the number of folks who have tried to get to daily Mass during Lent.  Again, if you’ve not given too much attention to your spiritual life of late, there are few better ways of drawing closer to Jesus than attending Mass on a regular basis.
 
On the way home:  In the Gospel today, we hear: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.”  To give your own child for love of all the people in the world is huge, even for God.  What are the ways that you understand that love?  What are the ways that you live that love?

Fr. Jerry Ragan