Patrick of Ireland

Patrick, a runaway slave, left civilization behind and returned to the land of his captors as a missionary bishop. There his crude Latin — an embarrassment in the civilized world — fit those to whom he wrote, notably Coroticus, a British slaver who called himself a Christian. No Christian are you, said Patrick, for you are a tyrant, kidnapping, enslaving and slaughtering the innocent.

Patrick didn’t write much besides his letter to Coroticus but he did write an “apologia” of sorts — an account of his own fitness for ministry and his credibility as a witness to the saints. It was rough and ready, more like something from the letters of Paul of Tarsus than the literary Confessions of Augustine of Hippo.

His feast we celebrate just a few days before the equinox in March. St. Patrick’s Day has become a drinking holiday, like so many American days, but in an earlier century it was an occasion for Irish immigrants that had newly become American to proclaim their love for and loyalty to their new country. But now it is often an occasion for the wearin’ o’ the green simply to avoid being pinched, or buying the house a round.

And so we are more likely to associate the equinox with another feast of the Christian year, the Annunciation. If we celebrate the Nativity of our Savior on Dec. 25 it is only sensible that we count nine months back to celebrate his expectation. “Here am I” says Mary, the angels let out a long held breath, and the redemption of creation begins anew.

Hence, a month after the equinox, Earth Day. This year that day falls just after Easter. And so we have some time between now and then so we can prepare with proper Lenten expectation, repentance and humility to recall our place in creation.

We nowadays seek to celebrate more than our own survival, our rescue from the pit of sin or despond: We want to mark a day in spring as a reminder of God’s creation of all things, and our place among them.

Let us remind ourselves that among God’s creatures are the least of people, the forgotten, the invaded, the captive: those assaulted in their own homes and drawn away to a foreign land, as the people of Patrick were, and all those who have ached for the release from captivity, the oppression of violence, for the healing of wounds, and the balm of the Spirit Mary’s son bears.

From the Iona Community:

A Universal Prayer for Peace

Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth.

Lead us from despair to hope, from fear to trust.

Lead us from hate to love, from war to peace.

Let peace fill our lives, our world, our universe.

Peace, peace, peace.

Amen.

Tucson faith leaders, we would like to include your original sermon or scriptures of encouragement. Sermons must be written by the person submitting them, not borrowed from another source or writer. If you are a faith leader from any religion or denomination, please contact Sara Brown at sbbrown@tucson.com.