I have written several essays about St. Patrick’s Day and done extensive research on the holiday throughout my life. Yet, every time I wrote one of these essays, it bothered me. As a Christian, I don’t believe in luck or coincidences. I don’t believe that things just happen because you are lucky. So marking a day on the calendar just to celebrate “luck” didn’t make much sense to me.
St. Patrick’s day today seems to be about luck, green, and other non-biblical rituals. So, a few weeks ago, I decided to do a little research to see if there was something I was missing. Why did there need to be a holiday to celebrate a guy named Patrick, and what did luck have to do with him? What I found was very interesting.
Saint Patrick was a missionary.
St. Patrick was captured in Ireland at sixteen and enslaved for six years. After these six years, St. Patrick escaped and fled to Britain. Even though he was free and safe here, he felt God calling him back to Ireland to become a missionary. So that’s what he did. St. Patrick left his safety and went to the place that enslaved him to teach others about Christ.
In one of his teachings, St. Patrick used a shamrock to explain The Trinity to the people. The three leaves represented God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All leaves were connected, demonstrating that the three forms of God are one. Although the four-leafed clover is often used as a symbol of St.Patrick’s Day, the shamrock (a clover with three leaves) is used by St. Patrick.
Why does Saint Patrick's Day matter?
To be honest, you probably don’t do much for St. Patrick’s Day. (there’s nothing wrong with that!) So why am I telling you all of this?
Other than the pure fact that I became interested in this topic and learned a lot, St. Patrick’s Day today is not celebrated based on the information I researched. Today, the traditions and symbols celebrated are not glorifying the Lord.
I mentioned earlier that the four-leaf clover is often used as a symbol for St.Patrick’s Day. In my research, I found that, like the shamrock, each of the four leaves on the clover means something. They mean faith, hope, love, and luck. That last word is what causes most of the rituals on this day to go against the will of God.
Here is the thing:
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
James 1:17
In other words, everything in this life comes from God. Not only the flowers of the field or the birds of the sky but also every moment you go through in life. There is not one thing that happens to you just by coincidence or because you are lucky. Noah didn’t survive a flood that destroyed the earth because he was lucky. Moses didn’t part the sea and save the Children of Israel because he was lucky. Jesus didn’t die and come back to life because he was lucky. That was all God.
that did not happen by coincidence
From the moment that He created this world, God had a plan for you. He knows exactly what your day will consist of before you even open your eyes. He knows what the next year will look like before the clock strikes midnight. God is all-knowing and powerful. Because of this, there is no such thing as a coincidence. God is completely in control.
“Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.”
Psalms 139:4
As you go throughout this week and St. Patrick’s Day arrives, remember the reason St. Patrick used the shamrock. God, in all three forms, is perfect and has a perfect plan for you. Not one thing happens because of luck. It happened because God blessed you.
See ya next time beautiful people!
Madi
